Daria Kasatkina has played 61 matches on the WTA tour this season. She has played in 24 events so far and has traveled to over 19 locations worldwide. The travel has reduced her rest between the matches in each event, making her reveal the complicated truths involved in the sport. Kasatkina and her girlfriend, Natalia Zabiiako, explained the hardships of players in their latest YouTube video.
The world No.11 spoke about fatigue and the lack of support for the players. Kasatkina had traveled from Japan to China, where the event organizers did not pick them up from the airport. The Russian said, “Honestly, I’m f*cking knackered, f*ck tennis, the game of tennis itself is the simplest thing we do. Everything else is just completely f*cking bull***t.” Kasatkina also spoke with other players in the video.
Let’s struggle together guys🥰 https://t.co/k9SK0vYD5q
— Daria Kasatkina (@DKasatkina) October 14, 2023
The 26-year-old has termed tennis the worst-ever sport in terms of logistics. On the ATP and the WTA tour, the players have to spend from their own pockets to travel. The WTA tour has been called out by the players for its inability to organize a healthy scheduling of events.
Daria Kasatkina shares major flaws under the WTA tour
The 2023 season has been a wake-up call for the WTA and this year marked the 50th anniversary of the organization, but it has been highlighted by controversies. The wage gap in many events persists today. The standard argument was the number of sets played in the grand slams. At Cincinnati Masters, the men’s winner was paid almost double that of the women’s title holder, although both played three sets.
See you at work at 3am🥰 and no whining pls!!! https://t.co/4djVCN5ErK
— Daria Kasatkina (@DKasatkina) August 16, 2023
Another major flak was the scheduling problems in the events. Players were not getting rest even during the semifinal and finals of some events. Kastkina and Victoria Azarenka had spoken about the timing issues of the matches. Elena Rybakina could not believe the schedule at Montreal and was not disappointed at the WTA tour.
UNRÉAL 🌙
Just short of 3am in Montréal after 3h27m of play, No.3 seed Elena Rybakina comes from a set down to defeat Kasatkina 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(8) and reach the semifinals!#NBO23 pic.twitter.com/kuykyjYxHi
— wta (@WTA) August 12, 2023
Along with Rybakina, Iga Swiatek also wanted the WTA to draw a line between the demands of the tour and the player’s health. The late-night matches were overshadowed by a lack of rest for players. The WTA tour has to take the necessary steps to bring back the glory in the game. It has overcome more considerable challenges during the initial players and needs to address the player’s call for help.