Sabalenka & Swiatek defended by Roddick as star slams 'harsher punishment' calls

Andy Roddick has come to the defence of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek after suggestions that the pair should be docked ranking points for their Dubai Tennis Championships withdrawals.

World No 1 Sabalenka and No 2 Swiatek both withdrew from the WTA 1000 event one day before the draw was made, with Sabalenka citing a hip injury and Swiatek citing a change of schedule.

Sabalenka’s withdrawal came after she had pulled out of the Qatar Open the previous week, while Swiatek withdrew from action in Dubai after a quarter-final defeat at the WTA 1000 event in Doha.

A string of players withdrew from the event both before and after the draw was made, with over 20 players now having withdrawn or retired from the event.

However, the decisions made by Sabalenka and Swiatek to withdraw attracted particular criticism from Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak.

In comments made after the draw last week, Tahlak suggested that players should be docked ranking points if they are late withdrawals from an event.

He said: “I feel they should deduct points from the players. A monetary fine won’t help.

“Many years ago, Serena Williams withdrew and was fined $100,000. But what is $100,000? She would play someplace else and make $1,000,000. So the fine isn’t a big deal.”

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Sabalenka and Swiatek’s WTA Tour rival, Coco Gauff, came out against the idea in her pre-tournament press conference this week, and former ATP world No 1 Roddick has now also criticised Tahlak’s suggestion.

Speaking on Served, the former US Open champion claimed withdrawals would always “happen” due to the timing of the Middle East swing.

“You’re going to deduct ranking points? My favourite is [when people say], when it’s convenient, that they [players] are independent contractors, we couldn’t possibly do salaries,” said Roddick.

“So they are independent contractors, but if they choose not to play this week, we are going to deduct them ranking points? Make it make sense to me.

“It’s unfortunate, but we play a full schedule. You’re the one who pushes for the designation of a 1000 in that region in February. It’s a terrible slot. People are going to pull out, especially people who are playing for Slams and number one. It’s going to happen.”

Players can already receive monetary fines should they withdraw from events designated as ‘mandatory’ on the WTA Tour, while players can also receive ‘zero-pointers’ on their WTA Ranking if they do not fulfil designated requirements.

Women towards the top of the WTA Tour are currently expected to play all four Grand Slam tournaments, all 10 WTA 1000 events, and further six events — alongside the WTA Finals, should they qualify.

Roddick further questioned how further punishments would work, considering the rules already in place.

He added: “So he [Tahlak] wants to dock points that they have already won somewhere else?

“They have earned those points. Can you imagine someone winning a play-off game and then someone taking it away somehow? He’s going to dock points from six months ago? How does that even work?

“Every point they have on their point total right now is earned because they have won matches, and now we are going to dock points? I don’t think that is very well thought out. That does not make sense to me.

“You’re going to dock them money, so you are going to take that because they can’t play your tournament for one reason or another, that’s already weird, and then you are going to take points away. That does not make any sense.”

Sabalenka and Swiatek are now both set to return to action in Indian Wells, another WTA 1000-level event.

That will then be swiftly followed by the Miami Open, the second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’, where world No 1 Sabalenka will look to defend her title.

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