The tournament director of the Dubai Tennis Championships has suggested players should lose ranking points for last-minute withdrawals, following the late decisions by Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek to skip the 2026 event.
The Dubai Tennis Championships will be without its top two players this year, as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have both confirmed their withdrawals, citing health and scheduling reasons.
Iga Swiatek has outlined three key areas she has been "working on" ahead of her Qatar Open campaign, with retooling her serve emerging as the world No. 2's primary focus.
Iga Swiatek is set to make significant changes to her game and focus on her serves with the help of a reduced schedule.
Elena Rybakina booked her place in the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday with a commanding 7-5, 6-1 victory over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.
Iga Swiatek marched into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday with a dominant fourth-round victory over Madison Inglis on Rod Laver Arena.