Iga Swiatek has arrived in Cancun, Mexico almost a week before the start of the
WTA Finals, while the venue is still under construction.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was among the first four players to qualify for this year's prestigious season-ending championship, marking her third consecutive year at the tournament. Swiatek made it to the semi-finals in 2022 where she was defeated by current World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
This season, it seems as though the World No. 2 is being extra prepared, arriving at the venue before it has even been fully built.
Unfinished courts cause controversy
The fact that the courts in Cancun have not been completed yet has caused controversy in the tennis community. The WTA has reportedly invested $6 million into building a new stadium with a capacity of 4,000 as well as practice fields.
The tournament is set to begin six days from now on October 29 and will go on until November 5. The other qualifiers in singles are Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur, and Karolina Muchova.
The WTA Finals page on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted about Swiatek's early arrival, writing "Welcome to Cancun!" in Spanish. This led several fans to respond by bringing up the issue of the unfinished courts.
"iga arriving early to help the contractors build the rest of the stadium," joked one, along with a photo of the 22-year-old wearing a safety helmet.
"for the first time in tennis history the players have arrived before the venue even exists!" joked another in bewilderment.
"wait…. show us the court, don’t be shy…" added another.