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Marketa Vondrousova has joined in on the criticism of the court conditions in Cancun, saying that her first WTA Finals is "not at all what I imagined." On Monday, 24-year-old Vondrousova played her first-ever match at the prestigious season-ending tournament.
Unfortunately for Vondrousova, it wasn't a victorious start to her WTA Finals debut as Iga Swiatek handed the Czech a 7-6 (3) 6-0 loss. After the match, Vondrousova joined Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Ons Jabeur in criticizing the court in Cancun.
“My first WTA finals is not at all what I imagined. We work hard all year to get to the finals and in the end, it's just a disappointment. The stadium is not at all ready for the matches and to me it feels like the people from WTA are absolutely not interested in how we, who are supposed to play on that court, feel.
We do not feel that anyone listens to us or are interested in our opinion. It’s very sad. On the another note, I am really grateful to all the people here in Mexico for being so nice and very helpful with everything," Vondrousova said.
The WTA reacts to the criticism from Vondrousova, other stars
The majority of WTA Finals harshly criticizing the court conditions at this year's WTA Finals drew lots of attention. On Monday, the WTA issued a statement, in which they defended their decision to bring the WTA Finals to Cancun.
Also, the WTA came to the defense of the tournament organizers, who had the stadium finished just two days before the start of the tournament. "We're pleased to host the WTA Finals in Cancun for the first time and worked hard to construct a stadium where the world's top eight women's tennis players and doubles teams compete head-to-head.
The team has worked diligently on an expedited timeline amid weather challenges to ensure the stadium and court meet our strict performance standards," the WTA said in a statement.