{"id":1777993,"date":"2026-02-18T13:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1777993"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:30:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:30:06","slug":"aryna-sabalenka-iga-swiatek-defended-by-former-no-1-after-ranking-point-punishment-suggestion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1777993","title":{"rendered":"Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek defended by former No 1 after ranking point &#8216;punishment&#8217; suggestion"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek defended by former No 1 after ranking point \u2018punishment\u2019 suggestion<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/oli-dickson-jefford\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Oli Dickson Jefford                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"18 Feb 2026 1:30 PM\" data-ps-date=\"18 Feb 2026 1:30 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1771421406\"><br \/>\n                            18 Feb 2026 1:30 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/aryna-sabalenka-iga-swiatek-defended-former-no-1-ranking-point-punishment\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a 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\u2018punishment\u2019 suggestion\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sabalenka-Swiatek-Sabalenka-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Andy Roddick.\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Andy Roddick.                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>Andy Roddick has come to the defence of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek after suggestions that the pair should be docked ranking points for their Dubai Tennis Championships withdrawals.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/aryna-sabalenka-iga-swiatek-withdraw-wta-dubai-championships-2026\">World No 1 Sabalenka and No 2 Swiatek both withdrew from the WTA 1000 event one day before the draw was made<\/a>, with Sabalenka citing a hip injury and Swiatek citing a change of schedule.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/aryna-sabalenka\">Sabalenka\u2019s<\/a> withdrawal came after she had pulled out of the Qatar Open the previous week, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/iga-swiatek\">Swiatek<\/a> withdrew from action in Dubai after a quarter-final defeat at the WTA 1000 event in Doha.<\/p>\n<p>A string of players withdrew from the event both before and after the draw was made, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/dubai-tennis-championships-withdrawals-retirements-field-wta-1000-decimated\">with over 20 players now having withdrawn or retired from the event<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, the decisions made by Sabalenka and Swiatek to withdraw attracted particular criticism from Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/dubai-tournament-director-harsher-punishment-late-sabalenka-swiatek-withdrawals\">In comments made after the draw last week<\/a>, Tahlak suggested that players should be docked ranking points if they are late withdrawals from an event.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cI feel they should deduct points from the players. A monetary fine won\u2019t help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany years ago, Serena Williams withdrew and was fined $100,000. But what is $100,000? She would play someplace else and make $1,000,000. So the fine isn\u2019t a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-wta-rankings-milestone-jasmine-paolini-upset-dubai\">Alex Eala set for rankings milestone after stunning Dubai upset as her next opponent is revealed<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/wta-tour\/paula-badosa-hits-back-over-disrespectful-comment-after-38th-retirement\">Paula Badosa hits back over \u2018disrespectful\u2019 comment after 38th retirement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/coco-gauff-responds-calls-iga-swiatek-aryna-sabalenka-punished-skipping-event\">Sabalenka and Swiatek\u2019s WTA Tour rival, Coco Gauff, came out against the idea in her pre-tournament press conference this week<\/a>, and former ATP world No 1 Roddick has now also criticised Tahlak\u2019s suggestion.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ServedPodcast\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Served<\/em><\/a>, the former US Open champion claimed withdrawals would always \u201chappen\u201d due to the timing of the Middle East swing.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou\u2019re going to deduct ranking points? My favourite is [when people say], when it\u2019s convenient, that they [players] are independent contractors, we couldn\u2019t possibly do salaries,\u201d said Roddick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo they are independent contractors, but if they choose not to play this week, we are going to deduct them ranking points? Make it make sense to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate, but we play a full schedule. You\u2019re the one who pushes for the designation of a 1000 in that region in February. It\u2019s a terrible slot. People are going to pull out, especially people who are playing for Slams and number one. It\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Players can already receive monetary fines should they withdraw from events designated as \u2018mandatory\u2019 on the WTA Tour, while players can also receive \u2018zero-pointers\u2019 on their WTA Ranking if they do not fulfil designated requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Women towards the top of the WTA Tour are currently expected to play all four Grand Slam tournaments, all 10 WTA 1000 events, and further six events \u2014 alongside the WTA Finals, should they qualify.<\/p>\n<p>Roddick further questioned how further punishments would work, considering the rules already in place.<\/p>\n<p>He added: \u201cSo he [Tahlak] wants to dock points that they have already won somewhere else?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have earned those points. Can you imagine someone winning a play-off game and then someone taking it away somehow? He\u2019s going to dock points from six months ago? How does that even work?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery point they have on their point total right now is earned because they have won matches, and now we are going to dock points? I don\u2019t think that is very well thought out. That does not make sense to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to dock them money, so you are going to take that because they can\u2019t play your tournament for one reason or another, that\u2019s already weird, and then you are going to take points away. That does not make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sabalenka and Swiatek are now both set to return to action in Indian Wells, another WTA 1000-level event.<\/p>\n<p>That will then be swiftly followed by the Miami Open, the second half of the \u2018Sunshine Double\u2019, where world No 1 Sabalenka will look to defend her title.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Next<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/prize-money-elena-rybakina-aryna-sabalenka-iga-swiatek-coco-gauff-karolina-muchova-2026\">Prize money earned by Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Karolina Muchova in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek defended by former No 1 after ranking point \u2018punishment\u2019 suggestion Oli Dickson Jefford 18 Feb 2026 1:30 PM Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Andy Roddick. Andy Roddick has come to the defence of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek after suggestions that the pair should be docked ranking points [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1777993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1777993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1777993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1777993\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1777993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1777993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1777993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}