"Should be ashamed,""How many times does this have to happen" - Tennis fans fume as Elena Rybakina calls out WTA over Canadian Open scheduling

By Urvi Mehra

Modified Aug 14, 2023 05:04 GMT

Elena Rybakina calls out the WTA over Canadian Open scheduling

Elena Rybakina's vocal criticism of the WTA over the scheduling issues she faced at the 2023 Canadian Open elicited outraged reactions from sympathetic tennis fans.

Rybakina's comments came after her defeat to Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinal of the WTA 1000 event. She expressed her discontent with the 3:00 am finish she endured during her last-eight clash against Daria Kastakina.

Describing the tournament's handling of the schedule as "unprofessional," she criticized the WTA for its "weak" leadership.

"It’s the first time when the match went that long and we finished also so late. It’s the first time and hopefully the last time because I think it’s been a little bit unprofessional from the, I cannot say really the tournament because I think that the most important is the WTA here, and the leadership is a little bit weak for now," she said in her post-match press conference.

She also emphasized the need for better organization in the future.

"But hopefully, something is going to change because this year, it was many situations which I cannot really understand," she added.

Several fans expressed outrage over the concerns laid out by Elena Rybakina. A fan commiserated with the Kazakh over her "brutal" week and wished her a quick recovery ahead of the US Open.

"I feel for her. That was brutal scheduling this past week, the organisers should be ashamed. Hope she recovers well for the US Open," a fan tweeted.

Another fan questioned how many more such instances it would take for the WTA to implement corrective measures.

"How many times does this have to happen before something is done about it, honestly. Call them out, Elena!" another fan commented.

A user recalled Iga Swiatek making a similar complaint regarding late finishes after falling to Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 Madrid Open final.

"Iga Swiatek complained about same thing when in Madrid and now Rybakina in Montreal. I hope many WTA players speak up about this condition," a user posted.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

Elena Rybakina will be in action at the Cincinnati Open next

Elena Rybakina will be in action at the Western & Southern Open next. Following a bye in the first round, the fourth seed will take on the winner of the match between Jelena Ostapenko and Karolina Pliskova to commence her campaign in Cincinnati.

Rybakina and Ostapenko stand level at 2-2 in their head-to-head record. However, it was the Kazakh who came out on top during their most recent encounter in the 2023 Italian Open semifinal.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old enjoys a perfect 3-0 record against Pliskova, having won their most recent clash at Abu Dhabi 2023 in straight sets.

Elena Rybakina will be aiming for a strong showing at the the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, as it marks her final preparatory event in the lead-up to the US Open.