WTA Finals become a farce - criticism of boss Simon
The bosses of the women's tennis tour had imagined everything to be so beautiful. Spectacular pictures from Cancún, Mexico, right on the Caribbean Sea, dream beaches included. It was supposed to be the perfect setting for the best players of the year to end their season.
But instead of a mixture of summer idyll and spectacular tennis, the WTA Finals delivered grotesque scenes of freezing players, flying garbage cans and blown balls. The highlight of the season had long since degenerated into a farce, even before Poland's Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula from the USA faced each other on Monday evening (local time) in the final, which had been postponed by one day due to the weather chaos.
Heavy criticism even before the start
Even before the million-dollar event began, there had been heavy criticism of the conditions in Cancún. Because the WTA had only named the Mexican coastal metropolis as the venue at very short notice, preparations had not yet been completed when the players from all over the world arrived in Mexico. The result: unlike usual, training sessions on the center court were hardly possible. "That's unacceptable for me when there's so much at stake," said world number one Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus.
The frustration among the world's best players is huge - and is nothing new. At the beginning of October, numerous stars in the industry had already expressed their displeasure at the developments in women's tennis in a letter of protest to WTA boss Steve Simon. Higher prize money, better tournament planning, improved childcare - the list of points of criticism is long. What particularly bothers the players, however, is that they are not being heard and involved.
Simon fails to reply to letter
The letter to the decision-makers, dated October 5, therefore contained an explicit request for a written response from WTA boss Simon by October 13. But there was no reply. Four-time Grand Slam tournament winner Swiatek even wrote a personal letter to Simon in which she once again clearly addressed the demands and points of criticism and called for "real change".
Instead of the desired answers in written form, Simon invited the players to a meeting in Cancún. But even there, the WTA boss did not give the answers expected by the players - which is why, according to information from "The Athletic", the players left the room before the end of the meeting. The fact that representatives of the players' union PTPA, which was founded by Novak Djokovic around three years ago, were not invited also caused annoyance.
When asked by dpa, the WTA did not respond to the points of criticism. Instead, the organization praised the positive development in recent years. "We are proud of what we have achieved and look forward to continuing the important discussions with the players and tournaments and continuing to work towards a strong future for women's tennis," said the WTA.
"It's going to be tough for Steve"
But for the American Simon, who has been at the top of the WTA for eight years, the rebellion of the players and the disaster in Cancún could still be dangerous. The 2022 WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, were held almost in camera. "It's going to be hard for Steve to keep his job," said 18-time Grand Slam tournament winner Martina Navratilova on Amazon Prime. "Maybe it's time for new leadership."
The WTA is a women's organization, but has only had two women at the top over the years. "I think it's time that when we get new leadership, we get a woman again," said the 67-year-old Navratilova. "There are enough women who have the qualities for it."
The debates surrounding the WTA Finals have not ended with the Cancún final: Saudi Arabia, which has been criticized for human rights violations, is a hot candidate for the upcoming editions.
Despite the challenging conditions in Cancún leading to a disrupted WTA Finals, Steve Simon failed to address the players' concerns expressed in a letter on October 5. In response, Iga Swiatek wrote a personal letter to Simon, urging for "real change" in women's tennis.
The issues at hand, such as higher prize money, improved tournament planning, and better childcare, have been a lingering cause of frustration among the world's best players. Despite this, Simon invited the players to a meeting in Cancún but did not provide satisfactory answers, leading to player dissatisfaction and early departures from the meeting.
Source: www.dpa.com
