‘You have been heard’: WTA apologises to players for Cancún conditions

The Women’s Tennis Association has admitted this year’s edition of the tour finals was “not a perfect event” and flagged changes to the circuit’s operation following a series of complaints from leading players about the way they are treated.

In a letter to the players leaked to Sports Illustrated, WTA chief executive Steve Simon said the late selection of Cancun, Mexico to host the showpiece event was “based on a number of complicated factors.”

“It is clear that you are not happy with the decision to be here in Cancun. I understand that and you have been heard,” he wrote after thanking the players for attending a meeting at the Mexican resort. “It is not a perfect event, we understand that the conditions are challenging and the WTA accepts responsibility for that.”

Cancun was named as the location for the $9 million tournament less than two months before it started, on October 29. The finals bring together the top eight singles players and doubles partners to end the season.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka criticized the WTA for court conditions after the opening day of group play, saying she felt “disrespected” by the standard of organizing the prestigious event.

The complaints have led to widespread dissatisfaction with the way the WTA has managed the tour. The Athletic reported that 21 of the world’s best players had recently written a letter to Simon outlining their grievances. The website said the players wanted higher wages, a more flexible schedule to ease their physical and mental burdens, expanded childcare and representation from the independent Professional Tennis Players Association on the WTA council.

The WTA’s letter said it would consider several proposals at its next board meeting to reduce the mandatory participation of top players in certain tournaments. It also told players that a host of other issues “you identified in your letter” would be reviewed.

“There is a lot of work being done and a lot of alignment on the areas you highlighted and are being worked on,” Simon wrote. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the WTA.

Meanwhile, on the court, Jessica Pegula extended her winning streak to eight matches and qualified for the semi-finals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Maria Sakkari on Thursday evening.

Pegula, the fifth seed, has not lost a set in Cancun. Against Sakkari, the American dominated second serves, winning on 11 of 19 second serves and 19 of 30 second serve returns (Sakkari won only eight of 19).

Pegula also made about half as many unforced errors — 18 to Sakkari’s 35 — on a windy evening with some rain early and much late. The 29-year-old Pegula will play in the semi-finals on Saturday.

“It’s a really cool achievement to go 3-0,” she said, “especially considering last year where it was the opposite.”

Sakkari, a Greek player ranked ninth, was eliminated before playing Pegula; she lost all three matches and did not win a set. “That’s not the way I wanted my season to end,” Sakkari said. “I think I paid a toll physically and mentally for how much I traveled, how much I played and how emotional this season was.”

Thursday’s late match between Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina was due to be completed on Friday morning after rain delayed it several times. In a rematch of the Australian Open final won by Sabalenka, top-ranked player Rybakina led 6-2, 3-5 when play was suspended.

The 25-year-old Sabalenka will retain the No. 1 ranking if she remains undefeated in the round-robin play or reaches the final.