Ons Jabeur backs Elena Rybakina’s claim of poor communication by WTA over performance byes, questions the scheduling of events in Asia immediately after Mexico

Few weeks ago, Rybakina posted on her social media regarding the unfair nature of the byes.

Ons Jabeur backs Elena Rybakina’s claim of poor communication by WTA over performance byes, questions the scheduling of events in Asia immediately after Mexico

Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina (Credit: Tennis Tonic)

Tunisian player Ons Jabeur came in support of her Wimbledon rival Elena Rybakina on her stance on the poor communication by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Jabeur discussed how the performance byes are confusing for her as well and agreed with Rybakina’s point.

“The rules on performance byes are really confusing,” Jabeur began in a post-match press conference after her first-round victory over Ashlyn Krueger in the ongoing China Open. “For me, I would have liked to have a bye performance for the Ningbo tournament. If it is allowed to give a tournament 500 to a 1000, then it is allowed to give it from a 250 to a 1000.”

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Jabeur’s remarks shed light on the complications of performance byes, which appear to lack clarity and consistency for women players. She advocated for more explicit and understandable rules, emphasizing the importance of appropriate communication to avoid misunderstandings.

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“I feel like if they’re going to give performance byes, maybe they should keep the byes normal and explain the rules better for sure,” Jabeur continued. “I thought I had a bye in Ningbo to begin with and I didn’t. It’s frustrating.”

Also read: Alexander Zverev fumes at China Open’s organizers after being forced to start post midnight against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as the match finishes after 2:30 AM

Elena Rybakina voices frustrations over performance byes

Few weeks ago, Rybakina posted on her social media regarding the unfair nature of the byes. She vocally called out the WTA for not handing out a first round bye to her even though she was third-seeded in the tournament. The Kazakh was disappointed to see players ranked below her being handed over the byes.

Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina (Credit: Tennis365)

What this meant was, that Rybakina had to participate in the first round to qualify for subsequent rounds. Whereas other players who had the byes, would get a straight entry to the second round of the event. Rybakina and her coach, strictly voiced out this concern.

Performance byes are actually privileges that allow players who had gone to the second round of other tournaments the previous week to obtain direct entrance. Interestingly, Rybakina withdrew from the Japan Open, several days after complaining. She cited injury and health concerns as the reason to withdraw.

Like Jabeur, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also came forward to speak against the confusing nature of the byes. Both of them concluded that also face difficulty in understanding the concept and demanded clarity. As players advocate for change, it remains to be seen whether the WTA will address these concerns and implement measures to provide a clearer framework.

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