These days, the International Tennis Federation has been getting into the news for all the wrong reasons. Players are unhappy with the way the tournaments are organized and how they are facilitated. There has been constant outrage from them regarding several issues. This ranges from pay hikes to consistency in the way the sport is being run.
The latest of them stems from the fact that the court conditions of ITF tournaments are not up to the mark. It all started at the Napoli Cup of 2022 when Corentin Moutet retired from his match due to bad court conditions. On the same court, Fabio Fognini was then made to play three games before the match was stopped.
Naples R2: Another day, another story from Naples. This time, Corentin Moutet ret. vs. Miomir Kecmanovic 3-5.
Both players complained wrt the court condition, esp. for being slippery. ⚠️ Also notice Moutet threw his racquet as well. Reee.
🎥 Naples feedpic.twitter.com/cO4kZ0Nt9T
— stateofsport21 // raz (she/her) (@eretzsport022) October 20, 2022
This was supposed to be the beginning of worse things to come. In all fairness, it has irked players and ITF is on the receiving end of a severe backlash from them. Stan Wawrinka and Darina Kasatkina are the recent ones to join in the outpour, and they have good reasons for it.
Backlash from players on the state of affairs at ITF Tournaments
Stan Wawrinka is usually vocal in rendering his support to bring about positive changes in the sport. It was apparent that he was visibly upset with the conditions in which an ITF tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was conducted. He didn’t hold himself back and took to social media to lambast ITF.
🤦🏻♂️ @ITFTennis any comment ?? https://t.co/WpKH86S9SA
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 28, 2023
Daria Kasatkina, another player who is not afraid to voice her views reacted vehemently. Describing the conditions as “dangerous” she called out the organization, by saying “…players are gonna pay a fine if they refuse to play on this “amazing courts”. All good @ITFTennis?”
This is not the only occasion she has expressed displeasure, with the way ITF tournaments are organized. In the ongoing Japan Open, where one had to deal with extremely hot conditions, she said “….If you have these opportunities, better to use it than to make players almost die on the field,” She was clearly unhappy with letting the roof be open and letting players face extreme heat on the court.
These are issues that need to be addressed with top priority. It is high time more people talk about it and make the right people take action. Otherwise, Tennis will be a sport only for the elite, and the vision of getting it globalized for the better could go for a bad toss.