MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., March 17 (UPI) -- Aryna Sabalenka said Tuesday that she could skip future editions of the Dubai Tennis Championships because of a slight by tournament director Salah Tahlak.
The top-ranked Belarusian made the comments at Miami Open media day in Miami Gardens, Fla. Sabalenka withdrew from the WTA 1000 event last month, saying she did "not feel 100%." She competed in the previous nine editions of the tournament.
No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland also withdrew from the tournament. She cited a "change of schedule." The stars' absences led to a scathing statement from Tahlak, who questioned their excuses for not participating.
"It was an unfortunate surprise [Feb. 13] to get news of the withdrawal of Aryna and Iga," Tahlak told The National. "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."
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