Jessica Pegula Outlines WTA Calendar Strain Amid Dubai Tournament Withdrawals Chaos

Jessica Pegula has been made the chair of the Tour Architecture Council under the WTA.

Jessica Pegula Outlines WTA Calendar Strain Amid Dubai Tournament Withdrawals Chaos

Jessica Pegula (Image via X/CGTN Sports Scene)

In Short
  • Ten players have withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis Championships, causing significant disruption to the tournament.
  • Jessica Pegula has been appointed chair of the new Tour Architecture Council to address calendar issues in women's tennis.
  • There is growing dissatisfaction with the current tennis calendar, particularly regarding the scheduling of mandatory events and player recovery time.

Since Friday (February 13), 10 players have withdrawn from the ongoing Dubai Tennis Championships, creating chaos in the WTA 1000 tournament. Jessica Pegula, chair of the new Tour Architecture Council, has revealed that the cumulative effect of small calendar shifts this year has led to withdrawals.

Top 10 players, including Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, announced their withdrawal from the Dubai Tennis Championships days before the tournament was to kick off. On Tuesday (February 17) alone, Sara Bejiek, Barbora Krejcikova, and Daria Kasatkina pulled out of the WTA tournament citing injuries.

Also, three players have retired mid-match at the event, including Paula Badosa, who couldn’t continue against Elina Svitolina despite leading 4-1 at one time in the first set. The tournament disruption has further streamlined the draw and has made the competition less competitive than the organizers envisaged.

Besides that, there’s a broader dissatisfaction with the tennis calendar, particularly the concentration of mandatory events and the transition from the Australian Open directly into the slow hard courts in the Middle East. The 2026 tennis calendar saw the Melbourne Grand Slam start a week later than usual, compressing other early-season tournaments and limiting players’ recovery time.

Pegula herself skipped the Doha Open following the Australian Open, using the week to rest and prepare for the Dubai tournament. During an interview with The National, Pegula acknowledged that the physical and mental demands that players go through in tournaments makes more choosy about what events they play in:

I think right now we’re living in an age too where the priority is always staying healthy mentally and physically, and you never know where a player is at with that. Even if they’ve been winning matches, you don’t know if they’ve been dealing with an injury throughout that whole time or not. And that’s where you see people, I think, especially top players, maybe be a little more choosy with that schedule until maybe it changes in the future.

The Dubai Tennis Championships director, Salah Tahlak, was not pleased when Sabalenka and Swiatek withdrew from the tournament, as he suggested that harsher sanctions should be placed on players for late withdrawals. He believes that points should be docked from players rather than imposed as fines. That has been a major debate at the tournament.

Jessica Pegula made chair of the Tour Architecture Council

The WTA Chair Valerie Camillo has set up the Tour Architecture Council, which will develop recommendations for the WTA board, with potent reforms in the calendar targeted to be implemented in the 2027 season. The council will help identify long-term structural changes that will require coordination across the sport.

Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula (Image via X/WTA Insider)

In a letter released by the WTA Chair, Jessica Pegula was appointed chair of the Council, which includes player representatives such as Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sakkari, Katie Volynets, and Anja Vreg alongside tournament executives and WTA Tour leadership. Valerie Camillo noted that it is important that there’s a change in the tour calendar:

There has been a clear sentiment across the Tour that the current calendar does not feel sustainable for players given the physical, professional, and personal pressures of competing at the highest level. It’s important we take a fresh, collaborative look at how to best preserve the high-quality competition that builds value for tournaments and provides an unparalleled experience for fans.

However, Pegula is seeking her first title this season at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The American star reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open before losing to eventual champion and World No.3 Elena Rybakina in straight sets. She defeated fellow compatriot Iva Jovic in her round of 16 match on Wednesday (February 18).

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