Dubai Open chief urges stricter penalties after late Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdrawals

World No 1 Sabalenka and world No 2 Swiatek both confirmed on Friday that they would not be in action in Dubai, with their withdrawals coming just one day before the draw was made, and two days before the start of the tournament.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka's withdrawal reason was cited as a hip injury, with the Belarusian also not in action at the Qatar Open this week.

Meanwhile, six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek has withdrawn due to a change of schedule, coming after her quarter-final defeat to Maria Sakkari in Doha.

Both Sabalenka and Swiatek have previously suggested that they would skip a handful of WTA 1000 events in 2026, with several players across both the women's and men's game critical of the tennis calendar.

Leading WTA players are expected to contest all 10 WTA 1000 events on the calendar, alongside the four Grand Slam tournaments, and six WTA 500-level events.

The official WTA Rulebook claims that players can face fines should they withdraw from mandatory events, while players are often awarded 'zero-pointers' on their WTA ranking if they do not fulfil mandatory requirements.

In quotes reported by The National, Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak has called into question whether the current rules go far enough to prevent late withdrawals.

He said: "It was an unfortunate surprise (on Friday) to get news of the withdrawal of Aryna and Iga. And the reasons for withdrawal were a bit strange.

"Iga said she wasn't mentally ready to compete, while Sabalenka said she has some minor injuries.

"So I don't know. I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players (for withdrawing), not just fines, they should be docked ranking points.

"I even asked the (tournament) doctor: 'What is the injury?' He said it's a minor injury, not one that would force her to withdraw from the tournament. And for Iga, I asked: 'Isn't this a strange decision?'"

Fines have been issued in the past, but with the leading players in the sport regularly making millions of dollars in prize money each season, Tahlak has suggested that ranking points penalties would provide a more significant deterrent.

"I think a fine will not do anything," he added.

"I feel they should deduct points from the players. A monetary fine won't help. Many years ago, Serena Williams withdrew and was fined 100,000 dollars. But what is 100,000 dollars? She would play someplace else and make 1,000,000 dollars. So the fine isn't a big deal.

"We have a meeting coming up in Rome, and I want to shed light on this issue. We have a representative on behalf of the international group (of tournaments) to speak for us with the WTA.

"Because it's a shame that we're spending these huge amounts to upgrade our facilities, and in the end, the players are the main part."

In the absence of both Sabalenka and Swiatek, world No 1 and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina is the top seed in the draw, with world No 4 Amanda Anisimova seeded second.

Sabalenka and Swiatek are both likely to return to action in Indian Wells, the third WTA 1000 tournament of the year.

Action in Tennis Paradise begins in early March, with Sabalenka a two-time finalist at the event, and Swiatek being a two-time former champion.

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