Performance byes have become a trending topic since tennis star Elena Rybakina slammed the WTA last week. The Kazakh has a strenuous relationship with the association, and her frustrations boiled over ahead of the Tokyo Open. Since then, several other players have spoken on this topic, including Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek. While some supported Elena, Swiatek has surprisingly backed the WTA.
Rybakina had ripped into the governing body since she did not receive a bye in Tokyo. Maria Sakkari and Caroline Garcia got them instead for going deep into the tournament at Guadalajara. Elena eventually pulled out of the tournament, citing health reasons.
Rybakina has now found support from her colleague, Jabeur. The Tunisian opened up about finding them confusing, stating she would have liked to get one for Ningbo. Jabeur added that she understood Elena’s frustration and hoped the WTA would clarify the rules once and for all.
Ons Jabeur says she understands Elena Rybakina’s frustration about the performance byes:
“The rules on performance byes are really confusing. For me, I would have liked to have a bye performance for the Ningbo tournament. If it is allowed to give a tournament 500 to a 1000, then… pic.twitter.com/KnzkhD5gqy
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 2, 2023
Aryna Sabalenka also weighed in on the issue of performance byes. The world number one did not get one herself, despite being the top seed at the tournament.
Sabalenka did not agree with the system. The Belarussian thinks that consistency should be rewarded instead of just performing well in one tournament. “I think you have to earn those byes,” she said.
Rybakina is sure to feel validated after she found support from her colleagues, Jabeur and Sabalenka. However, Polish star Iga Swiatek has offered a different perspective.
Iga Swiatek goes against her rivals
The former world number one has always charted her own path and gone against the trend. Swiatek has done it again, by supporting the reintroduction of performance byes on the tour.
Swiatek has always received byes by virtue of being the top seed at most tournaments. However, she did not get one for Beijing, as the players who made deep runs in Tokyo got them instead. When Swiatek was asked for her opinion, she said that the rule was fine.
Iga Swiatek on performance byes:
“I haven’t said much about this rule bc these are the first events I’ve played in where this type of thing is happening, even though we’ve been in the calendar for a long time. It seems smart to me, when I had tournaments where I went very deep… pic.twitter.com/G9QRTlgPNW
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 2, 2023
“I didn’t really dig into this rule so much because these are the first tournaments that I’m playing where it’s possible to get this kind of thing. But it’s been on tour for a long time,” she said (via Express UK).
Iga Swiatek is currently playing in Beijing, where she made it to the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event. She has been in good form and will try to go deep into the tournament.
