Marketa Vondrousova criticizes the WTA for the poor court conditions during the Cancun Finals

By | Niranjan Bhargav 31 Oct, 2023

Marketa Vondrousova has joined a growing chorus of players who have expressed dissatisfaction with the organizers of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, citing poor playing conditions.

Vondrousova was defeated in her tournament debut by No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek. Despite leading 2-5 in the first set, the Czech was pushed to a tiebreaker by the Pole. Swiatek won the opening set 7-6 (3) then bageled Vondrousova to win the match 7-6 (3), 6-0.

The reigning Wimbledon champion was dissatisfied with the outcome of the match and rushed to Instagram to vent her feelings. In tennis interview, the Czech No. 1 criticized the Cancun court conditions and chastised the WTA for failing to protect players. The WTA built the stadium in Cancun from the ground up and it was not finished until one day before the main draw play began.

“My first WTA Finals experience has been nothing like I expected. We worked hard all year to get to the finals, and it was all for naught. The stadium is not ready for the matches, and it appears that the WTA is uninterested in how we – who are meant to play on that court – feel,” Marketa Vondrousova remarked on Instagram.

“We don’t believe anyone listens to us or cares about our opinions.” It’s a pity. On another note, she expressed gratitude to “everyone here in Mexico for being so nice and helpful with everything.”

She also uploaded a video and a photograph from past matches to demonstrate how the solitary court on which the Finals would be played is subpar.

The footage was taken during the Maria Sakkari vs. Aryna Sabalenka match, in which Sakkari lost a point due to an uneven bounce. The photograph was taken during a doubles match, and it shows that the surface is not level and includes bumps.

“So so sad for all of us,” she captioned the Story.

Marketa Vondrousova doubled down on her criticism after the match against Swiatek in an interview with the Czech periodical Radiournál Sport.

The 24-year-old stated that the court does not allow for speedier play. She also mentioned how Swiatek’s high kick serve was made more difficult by the uneven bounce on the court.

“I must say, this is quite meaty.” There are a lot of bumps. It is completely impossible to play it quickly. It flies all over the place. It’s difficult to pursue it there with her spins. “I think the court is really bad,” Vondrouová stated.

“I performed well till the score was 5:2. On the contrary, I believed she did worse. But then she probably realized she could kick and turn outdoors since it leaps like crazy here and there’s nothing you can do about it. She discovered it and returned safely. Then there was just one goal. “It doesn’t work very well if she gets caught,” she continued.

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