Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova critical of WTA after losing her opening match to Iga Swiatek in Cancun; head to the Sky Sports website and app, for live scores, reports, analysis and features
Tuesday 31 October 2023 12:40, UK
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova became the latest leading name to criticise the WTA after losing her opening match to Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals.
Following a 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 defeat by second seed Iga Swiatek, Vondrousova wrote on Instagram: "My first WTA Finals is not at all what I imagined. We work hard all year to get to the finals and in the end it's just a disappointment.
"(The) stadium is not at all ready for the matches and to me it feels like the people from WTA are absolutely not interested in how we who are supposed to play on that court feel. We do not feel that anyone listens to us and is interested in our opinions. Very sad."
Swiatek added to the criticism, saying in her on-court interview that the surface was "not comfortable" while she also appealed for more fans to attend the matches.
For the third year in a row, the host of the prestigious tournament - which features the top eight players of the season - was only decided less than two months prior to the event.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka said after her first match on Sunday that she felt "disrespected" over the condition of the hastily-laid temporary court in Cancun.
"This is not the level of organisation we expect for the Finals," she said. "To be honest, I don't feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time, the bounce is not consistent at all, and we weren't able to practise on this court until yesterday for the first time.
"It's just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and so much at stake."
The season-ending tournament has recently been held in Singapore from 2014-2018 before moving to Shenzhen, Guadalajara and Fort Worth in subsequent years.
Coco Gauff revealed she is no longer working with coach Pere Riba after the US Open champion needed less than an hour to beat Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-1 for her first WTA Finals victory.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't my decision," Gauff said of the split from the Spaniard. "But we had to end the partnership. If it was up to me, I would have loved to have him here.
"But things happen. Life happens. So no bad terms on our end. I still think that he was a great guy. And obviously he did amazing things for me personally and also for my game."
Gauff is still working with renowned American coach Brad Gilbert, who guided her to the title in New York alongside Riba.
