Amanda Anisimova had a quick turnaround between the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai.
Amanda Anisimova has claimed it was “scary” to get straight back on the match court in Dubai days after lifting the trophy in Doha.
The world No. 18 won the biggest title of her career at last week’s Qatar Open, a WTA 1000 tournament. Two days later, she lost in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Anisimova has now claimed that the schedule is too demanding and players can’t withdraw from tournaments without getting fined.
Anisimova burst onto the scene as a teenager and was tipped for big things. The American reached the semi-final of the French Open when she was just 17, beating defending champion Simona Halep en route.
But Anisimova struggled with burnout and took a seven-month break from the sport in 2023. Two years later, she finally lifted her first big trophy, beating Jelena Ostapenko to win the WTA 1000 in Doha on Saturday.
With the victory, Anisimova shot up the rankings to a new career-high ranking of No. 18 in the world. However, at this point, the Dubai draw was already set and her standing was too low to allow her a bye directly into the second round.
It meant the 23-year-old had to race to Dubai in time for her first-round match against McCartney Kessler on Monday. Anisimova suffered a one-sided 6-2 6-3 defeat and later admitted she felt “vulnerable” playing another match so soon after her title triumph.
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“Definitely a little scary to go and play after such a quick turnaround,” the American said. “Not testing out the conditions and putting your body through that, it’s like very vulnerable.”
Explaining why she didn’t withdraw from the WTA 1000 in Dubai, Anisimova continued: “With the schedule they have on us, it’s tough.
“You get fined. Then your ranking gets affected if you skip the big tournaments. We don’t get much of a choice when it comes to that.
“Knowing that in my mind, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to try to play and do the best that I can. Hopefully I can get more used to that’.
Players who are eligible for the main draw of a WTA 1000 event and do not compete are penalised in the rankings. They receive a ‘zero-pointer’ towards the end of the season.
This happened to Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in 2024 – both ranking points from their worst-performing 1000 tournaments docked in October. It allowed Sabalenka to overtake Swiatek and become world No. 1.
Those who do not comply with the on-site withdrawal retirements for WTA 1000 tournaments also receive a fine.