Hopefully This Will Never, Ever, Ever Happen Again

By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Monday, October 30, 2024

Ons Jabeur has seen quite a lot in her career.

One thing the two-time Wimbledon finalist hopes to “never, ever, ever” see again is the late court construction at this week’s WTA Finals.

Sabalenka: Very Disappointed with WTA

The delay in completing the stadium court in Cancun meant many players only had a day or two of practice on the stadium court.

Jabeur said while she appreciates all the hard work staffers did to complete the job, it’s unacceptable players did not have several days to practice on stadium at the WTA’s crown jewel tournament.

“I’m not very happy that this is the first day we hit on the stadium,” Jabeur told the media in Cancun. “This is such a big event. We should have been able to be ready and hit on the court.

“Yeah, hopefully this will never, ever, ever happen again. Like ever…”

The court, which showed some dead spots during top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka’s crushing conquest of Maria Sakkari in her opener on Sunday night, combined with the gusty wind creates unruly conditions for the elite eight.

“I’m happy that I was able to stay focused tonight, overcome the conditions, and play well,” the world No. 1 wrote on social media. “I have to say though that I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals.

“As I said in my press conference tonight, as a player I really feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. This is not the level of organization we expect for the Finals.”

Jabeur will get a taste of court conditions tonight when she faces Coco Gauff in her round-robin opener.

Photo credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty | Credit: Getty Images