The top players have decided at short notice not to take part in the upcoming 1000-category tournament—for various reasons.
Tennis stars Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will not be playing in the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai as planned. Both withdrew from next week’s competition on Saturday.
“I have such a special connection to the tournament, the fans, and the city. Unfortunately, I’m not feeling 100%,” said world number one Sabalenka, according to the organizers. The four-time Grand Slam winner from Belarus has not played a match since losing the Australian Open final to Jelena Rybakina.
Swiatek, ranked number two in the world, played in the tournament in Doha this week but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Maria Sakkari (Greece). Now the six-time Grand Slam winner from Poland has announced that she will not be competing in Dubai due to a change in schedule.
