Tennis Controversies of the Week: Aryna Sabalenka being preferred over Iga Swiatek for award leads to backlash; Stefanos Tsitsipas' father in hot water over remark on son, and more

Backlash ensued after Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was chosen over Iga Swiatek for the 2024 Jerry Diamond ACES Award. In other news, Stefanos Tsitsipas' father, Apostolos, came under fire for misinterpreting his son's cryptic message.

Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini received criticism for becoming an ambassador of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Russian tennis legend Nikolay Davydenko challenged equal prize money for women.

Also, WTA drew flak for naming Emma Navarro as the 'Most Improved Player 2024.'

On that note, here's a recap of the top tennis controversies from last week:

Aryna Sabalenka's triumph over Iga Swiatek for the 2024 Jerry Diamond ACES Award sparked outrage

Aryna Sabalenka's victory over Iga Swiatek for the 2024 Jerry Diamond ACES Award sparked criticism. Sabalenka, who overtook Swiatek for the No. 1 ranking in October 2024, was recognized for promoting women's tennis through off-court and charitable work.

Many fans criticized the decision, recalling Sabalenka's past disinterest in women's tennis and her support for hosting events in Saudi Arabia, despite its controversial women's rights record.

The Belarusian tennis star had an exceptional year, where she won the Australian Open and the US Open, as well as WTA 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan.

Stefanos Tsitsipas' father Apostolos landed in controversy following remark about his son

Stefanos Tsitsipas' father, Apostolos, faced backlash after seemingly misinterpreting his son's cryptic message about his parents. Tsitsipas recently shared a post implying his parents might be "narcissistic."

At the 2024 National Bank Open in Montreal, the former World No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam finalist expressed frustration at his coach and father, Apostolos, during a match, blaming him for his on-court struggles and decline in form. Shortly after, Tsitsipas announced his father would no longer coach him.

In a recent Instagram post reflecting on his 2024 experiences, Tsitsipas included a video discussing children of narcissistic parents who grow up with a flawed understanding of love.

“The past months have been a quiet storm of evolution. Through flaws, risks, and endless possibility, life reveals its beauty-not in perfection, but in its bold unpredictability. What’s coming? Only time will tell. #TheArtOfBecoming ✨ ," Tsitsipas captioned his Instagram post.

This sparked speculation among fans about his relationship with his parents. Apostolos later appeared on MEGA's show, You Haven't Seen Anything Yet, and downplayed the cryptic post, suggesting it meant parents have a "pathological love" for their children.

"The post is not his own; someone else made it. This post, from what I saw, is on YouTube. He borrowed it from YouTube and posted it, he made a repost, that’s what it’s called. Everyone makes reposts. What does that mean? Stefanos is simply saying that parents very much love, deeply love their children; they have a pathological love for their children, that’s what he means," Apostolos said.

Matteo Berrettini came under fire for joining Saudi Arabia’s PIF as ambassador

Matteo Berrettini faced criticism after signing a deal to become the latest ambassador for Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In recent years, the PIF, alongside Saudi Arabia's tennis federation, has made significant investments in the sport, securing deals with the ATP and WTA to bring events like the Next Gen ATP Finals and WTA Finals to the country.

Rafael Nadal also became an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation earlier this year. Additionally, Saudi Arabia hosted the 2024 Six Kings Slam exhibition featuring top players like Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.

Berrettini recently announced his new role on Instagram, expressing excitement about the year ahead.

"Proud to be a part of the PIF family and super excited about the year ahead! Lots to look forward to @publicinvestmentfund"

However, many tennis fans criticized Berrettini's decision, pointing to Saudi Arabia's controversial human rights and women's rights records.

Russian tennis icon Nikolay Davydenko opposed equal prize money for women

Russian tennis legend Nikolay Davydenko questioned the policy of giving equal prize money to both men and women, citing the differences in match formats.

In an interview with matctv.ru, Davydenko argued that while equal prize money makes sense at the Tour level, where both men and women play the same number of sets, it doesn't apply to Grand Slams.

Davydenko pointed out that men play best-of-five matches, while women play three-setters, noting that Serena Williams has won titles after losing just 10 games, whereas men often lose as many in longer matches.

"At 250, 500, 1000 series tournaments — maybe," Denis Bushkovsky said. "But when they shout about Grand Slams… You don’t play five-set matches." (Translated from Russian).

"Serena Williams won Grand Slams, losing only 10 games per tournament," he continued. "She won 6:0, 6:1, 6:2, without even breaking a sweat or feeling stressed. And men lose 10 games only in the first match, we need to fight. It happens that you play a five-setter in the first round — and then you get pumped up."

Davydenko reiterated his point, claiming that male players put in three times the effort of women at Grand Slams, which he believes makes the equal prize money "unfair" to them.

WTA faced backlash for awarding 'Most Improved Player 2024' to Emma Navarro

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) faced criticism for naming Emma Navarro 2024's Most Improved Player of the Year instead of Jasmine Paolini.

Paolini had a standout year, reaching two singles Grand Slam finals for the first time, winning her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Tennis Championships, claiming women's doubles gold at the Paris Olympics, and helping Italy win the Billie Jean King Cup.

On the other hand, Navarro also made significant strides, breaking into the top 10, winning her maiden WTA title at the Hobart International, and reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and semifinals at the US Open for the first time.

When the WTA announced its 2024 player awards last week, many tennis fans on social media were surprised to see Navarro win the Most Improved Player award, feeling that Paolini's accomplishments in 2024 made her a more deserving choice.

About the author

Shashank, a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda, joined the company about a year and a half ago. Despite his background in software engineering, his passion for the sport drove him to switch gears and dive into full-time journalism before which he worked as a tech writer.

With over 1000 articles and nearly 4 million views under his belt at SK, his stories stand out thanks to his deep dives into match stats, player tactics, and historical patterns, offering readers a fresh take every time. Above all, he is meticulous, making sure to double-check information from reliable sources before sharing it.

In Shashank's view, there's no room for debate: Novak Djokovic reigns supreme as the ultimate GOAT. He draws inspiration from the Serb's resilience, hard work, and relentless attitude, channeling those qualities into his own work.

Outside of his tennis musings, he finds joy in hitting the court himself, exploring new destinations during his travels, and watching movies.

Know More

Edited by Hitesh Nigam