PTPA seeks third-party assessment of ‘breakdowns’ at WTA Finals

The Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation has requested the WTA to co-commission an impartial, third-party investigation into the “quite a few obvious breakdowns” that occurred on the just lately concluded WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.

The PTPA prolonged its invitation in a press release Wednesday, two days after the completion of the WTA Finals, saying the purpose is to “guarantee these errors don’t proceed.”

The year-end event, which featured the highest eight singles gamers and doubles groups, was marred by mishaps, together with the stadium not being accomplished till the day earlier than competitors acquired underway, subpar court docket situations, and frequent climate delays and near-constant wind.

“The just lately concluded WTA Finals not solely dissatisfied gamers and followers, but additionally forged a shadow over the game of tennis and girls’s sports activities basically,” the PTPA mentioned. “Final week, the PTPA selected to stay silent out of respect for the devoted gamers who put in a 12 months of laborious work to get there, and the native organizers unfairly trapped in an not possible state of affairs. Now that the occasion is behind us, we hereby invite the WTA to co-commission an impartial, third-party report that delves into the quite a few obvious breakdowns that occurred over the previous a number of months.”

The PTPA requested for a response from the WTA inside 10 days.

Cancun was formally introduced because the host metropolis for the occasion in September, about six weeks earlier than play was scheduled to get underway and amid participant complaints concerning the delay within the reveal.

Because the momentary stadium wanted to be constructed, it left little time for preparations and was not but full by the point gamers arrived on web site. A number of complained concerning the lack of follow time they got earlier than play started. After her opening match, Aryna Sabalenka, the event’s high seed and the reigning Australian Open champion, mentioned gamers “do not even really feel protected to maneuver on this court docket,” later including on Instagram that “the bounce shouldn’t be constant in any respect.”

“I’ve to say although that I’m very dissatisfied with the WTA and the expertise to this point on the WTA Finals,” Sabalenka wrote in a now expired Instagram story. “As I mentioned in my press convention tonight, as a participant I actually really feel disrespected by the WTA. I believe most of us do. This isn’t the extent of group we anticipate for the Finals.”

In an interview Wednesday with ESPN, Ahmad Nassar, the PTPA’s government director, added that the group heard from “almost all” of the collaborating gamers concerning the occasion, earlier than and through.

“On a micro stage, the largest criticism was most likely, ‘Why are we right here? Why are we in Cancun?'” Nassar mentioned. “And to not offend the individuals of Cancun, who bent over backwards to placed on the occasion, but it surely’s extra concerning the course of — ‘Why are we right here? Why was there an absence of communication about how the choice was made when the choice was made?’ It is a large location problem that goes into having to follow on the lodge courts, which aren’t at an expert customary, in addition to the stadium being half completed and taking part in exterior in the course of hurricane season.”

Nassar added that gamers had been additionally seeking to have their voices heard and for WTA officers to take accountability. He talked about that a number of of the identical gamers had participated within the 2022 occasion, which was held in Fort Value, Texas, after the WTA moved it from its beforehand introduced location in Shenzhen, China, and had shared lots of their frustrations and issues about that venue final 12 months. Nevertheless, he mentioned most of the gamers felt as if what they’d mentioned had been ignored.

“It was sort of like, ‘Is that this “Groundhog Day”?'” Nassar mentioned. “‘How are we right here once more? Why have not we been heard?'”

After her group play victory towards Coco Gauff on Wednesday, Iga Swiatek, the eventual champion, was important of the dearth of followers in attendance for the match, one thing that additionally plagued the 2022 event. She put the fault on the WTA.

“Truthfully, I believe there’s loads [the WTA] can do,” Swiatek mentioned. “It is a fairly bizarre state of affairs the place we’ve conferences with the WTA and we clarify to them what needs to be completed generally. For certain, there’s potential to work on that. Clearly, [the WTA] determined late that we had been going to play right here. The advertising and marketing needs to be higher. It is a disgrace we do not have a full stadium and we will not actually really feel like we’re at like a tennis celebration for the entire week.”

With a number of gamers additionally competing within the Billie Jean King Cup, at present underway in Seville, Spain, some gamers had additionally expressed issues, publicly and to the PTPA, concerning logistics concerning the journey wanted to attend each occasions. Ellen Perez, who performed within the doubles attract Cancun and is at present representing Australia on the BJK Cup, had talked about such a priority on X instantly after Cancun was introduced. She discovered herself with simply hours in between the doubles ultimate, performed Monday afternoon resulting from earlier rain delays, and Australia’s opener in Seville — almost 5,000 miles away — on Tuesday morning.

“Actually not impressed with this scheduling catastrophe,” Perez posted on social media Sunday. “Why do I’ve to be punished for this?”

The WTA Finals was the most recent frustration for the gamers this season. As reported by The Athletic final week, a number of of the WTA’s high gamers despatched a letter to WTA CEO Steve Simon in October asking for numerous modifications to be made, together with a assured revenue and protection for maternity depart and damage layoffs. Nassar mentioned he adopted up the participant letter with one in every of his personal later within the month. There have additionally been a number of conferences with Simon and the gamers since, in addition to the PTPA and the WTA in Cancun.

Chatting with ESPN simply hours after the PTPA referred to as for an investigation into the WTA Finals, Nassar had not heard from the WTA at the moment. The group has but to publicly remark both, but it surely had beforehand defended the occasion’s stadium and court docket in a press release and mentioned each did “meet our strict efficiency requirements.”

Nassar mentioned that wasn’t sufficient.

“If this had been the Tremendous Bowl, if it had been the NBA Finals, everyone knows that these situations would not be tolerated by any means,” Nassar mentioned. “We all know there can be accountability on the highest stage if that had been the case. And that is what these gamers are asking for — accountability and the respect they deserve.”