"Main thing is just doing your job" - Iga Swiatek differs from Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina over WTA Finals court controversy

Iga Swiatek is approaching the WTA Finals court controversy differently than Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova, as per her recent revelation.

Iga Swiatek is currently in Cancun, Mexico, for the 2023 WTA Finals. She is drawn in the Chetumal group alongside Coco Gauff, Marketa Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari, meanwhile, feature in the Bacalar group.

While there is a lot at stake during the tournament, with World No. 1 Sabalenka and World No. 2 Swiatek fighting for the year-end top spot, it is the fiasco surrounding the hastily made court that has taken center stage.

The WTA Finals' main court was made available to the players just a day before the commencement of the matches. The governing body soon caught flak when players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova admitted to feeling unsafe on the surface during their actual matches, due to its inconsistency.

“I don't feel safe moving on this court, the bounce is not consistent at all. It's just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and so much at stake,” Aryna Sabalenka wrote on social media.

Iga Swiatek, however, took a different approach after her opening-match win over Vondrousova. The Pole agreed that the situation is not ideal for the competitors, but maintained that she will be focusing on the task at hand instead of criticizing the flaws.

“Obviously, it’s not a positive thing for any of us, but I think, the main thing is not focusing on that, and just doing your job,” she said in her post-match press conference.

The four-time Grand Slam champion then compared the irregular bounces experienced on the hardcourt in Cancun to the grass and clay surfaces.

“Sometimes, it bounces weirdly on clay or on grass as well. I tried to think in that perspective and just do my job,” she said.

Iga Swiatek reiterated that while the court isn’t comfortable, and the lack of practice makes it worse, she has made her peace with it. She pointed out that the conditions are the same for each competitor.

“For sure, it’s not too comfortable, and the fact that we also didn’t have time to practice on this court, you know,” Iga Swiatek added. “But at the end, it doesn’t really matter because all of us have the same court and the same conditions.”

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Iga Swiatek to face Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka to face Elena Rybakina for a spot in the last four of 2023 WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and the 2023 WTA Finals singles line-up

Following her impressive 7-6 (3), 6-0 victory over Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, Swiatek will next face Coco Gauff. Like the Pole, the American, too, came out on top in her opening match. She earned an emphatic 6-0, 6-1 win over Ons Jabeur.

The duo’s encounter on Wednesday, November 1, will thus prove consequential, with the winner earning a direct spot in the semifinals.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, will take part in a sudden death fixture on Thursday, November 2. Both players have scored one win and one loss each, winning against Maria Sakkari and losing to Jessica Pegula.

Thanks to the results, Pegula has already booked her spot in the final four while Sakkari is now out of contention.

The Sabalenka-Rybakina match-up will thus decide which of the two players advances to the 2023 WTA Finals semifinals.