Aryna Sabalenka: Late Dubai withdrawal criticism ‘ridiculous’

“It’s really sad to see that tournament directors and tournaments don’t protect us as players. They just mind their own business. [sales]about their tournaments and that’s it.

“I’m not sure if I want to go there after his comment. It’s too much for me.”

Sabalenka won the Indian Wells title on Sunday, her first tournament since losing the Australian Open final in January.

“Going into this season, we decided to prioritize my health and make sure there are little gaps in the schedule where I can reset, recharge, train and be better prepared for bigger tournaments,” said Sabalenka, who will try to defend her Miami Open title this week.

“I feel like the scheduling has gone crazy and that’s why you see so many players getting injured, not being booked all the time and not being presented with the best quality matches because it’s almost impossible.”

American Coco Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, said: “Iga and Aryna have played this tournament many times and there was nothing personal about it.

“It’s tough. We’re trying to do our best to play the schedule. I completely understand why you feel that way as the comments are unnecessary.”

Players regularly express concerns about the congestion of the tennis calendar, which spans 11 months of the year for top players.