The 2026 WTA Dubai Tennis Championships have been overshadowed by a wave of withdrawals, with ten players pulling out as of February 17. Among those who exited are top-ranked stars Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, as well as Victoria Mboko, contributing to what has become a highly controversial and disruptive event. The tournament, held on a hardcourt surface in Dubai, has raised concerns over players’ fitness and scheduling conflicts, prompting widespread discussion among fans and officials.
Earlier, Aryna Sabalenka had cited a right hip injury as her reason for withdrawing, while Iga Swiatek, last year’s finalist, attributed her decision to changes in her schedule. Newly crowned Qatar Open champion Karolina Muchova, alongside Daria Kasatkina and Sara Bejlek, also pulled out citing scheduling issues and injuries. Other withdrawals due to injuries include Victoria Mboko (right elbow), Barbora Krejcikova (left thigh), Daria Kasatkina (right hip), Sara Bejlek (abdominal injury), and Elisabetta Cocciaretto (left thigh). Additionally, Maria Sakkari and Zheng Qinwen missed the tournament due to illnesses, further adding to the list of players absent from the competition.
Fan Reactions Highlight Growing Frustration Over Frequent Withdrawals
The unusually high number of withdrawals has sparked strong reactions across social media platforms such as Reddit and X. Many tennis fans voiced disappointment and frustration, highlighting the impact on the tournament’s quality and competitiveness. Comments ranged from calls to reduce the tournament’s ranking points and prize money to skeptical remarks about potential unexplained issues affecting players in Dubai.
““Make dubai a 500” “make dubai a 250” actually, cancel dubai now,” one fan wrote.
“Is there a plague going on in Dubai right now? We’re up to what 7 lucky losers, 3 walkovers and a midmatch (6 love) retirement and the 2nd round is half over?!?!??,” commented another.
“At this point the winner of this tournament will be decided by a walkover,” another fan chimed in.
“It’s February and everyone is already knackered,” one added.
“There must be something going on in the water in Dubai,” another claimed.
“The tournament director must be fuming right now,” weighed in yet another fan.
WTA Dubai Tournament Director Demands Tougher Penalties for Top-Ranked Withdrawals
The tournament director, Salah Tahlak, publicly criticized Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek for pulling out of the event, expressing disbelief over their reasons. He described the explanations as questionable and urged for more severe consequences beyond fines, proposing docking ranking points as a deterrent. Tahlak conveyed that the tournament doctor had informed him Sabalenka’s hip injury was minor and not deserving of withdrawal.
“It was an unfortunate surprise last night 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. I don’t know. I think there should be a harsher punishment on the players, not just fines, they should be docked ranking points.”
“I even asked the doctor, what is the injury? He said it’s a minor injury, not one that would force her to withdraw from the tournament,” Tahlak added.
Player Rivals Disagree on Proposed Punishments for Withdrawals
Despite Tahlak’s stance, some fellow competitors on the WTA tour expressed opposing views. Coco Gauff, who often competes against both Sabalenka and Swiatek, acknowledged the director’s frustrations but disagreed with docking ranking points as a form of punishment. She suggested that players’ decisions to withdraw should be respected without penalizing them beyond current regulations.
Implications for the Tournament and Future Events
The mass withdrawals have disrupted the 2026 Dubai Open’s competitiveness, leading to an inflated number of lucky losers, walkovers, and mid-match retirements, impacting the experience for players and fans alike. With the top-ranked athletes absent, the tournament’s outcome risks being determined by defaults rather than on-court performance, potentially diminishing its prestige. Moving forward, organizers may need to reconsider scheduling and player incentives to reduce withdrawal rates and maintain tournament integrity.
As the situation unfolds, the tennis world will closely watch whether governing bodies implement stricter withdrawal penalties or adjust calendar planning to prevent further controversies similar to this Victoria Mboko withdrawals controversy at the Dubai Open.
Everything is fine pic.twitter.com/TpDmN5BHlL
— Owen (@kostekcanu) February 17, 2026
https://twitter.com/i/status/2023689714117865489
Is there a plague going on in Dubai right now?
we're up to what 7 lucky losers, 3 walkovers and a midmatch (6 love) retirement and the 2nd round is half over?!?!??@FantasyTennisL1 @TennisUpdates26 @TennisBlogger1 @edgeAIapp
— rick marsonet (@RMarsonet) February 17, 2026
There must be something going on in the water in Dubai https://t.co/eFyXTAneG9
— moonball enthusiast (@ninjaga20) February 17, 2026
