Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka ‘punished’ by controversial rule as Belarusian returns to No 1 in rankings
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have both been penalised for not playing enough WTA 500 events during the season and, as a result, the Belarusian has returned to No 1 in the WTA Rankings.
The top two players in the rankings were not in action last week and they also didn’t have any points to defend from the 2023 season, but there have been changes to the top of the rankings.
Swiatek started last week on 9,785 points while Sabalenka was on 9,716, but both were punished for not committing to enough WTA 500 tournaments during the season.
According to WTA rules, players need to play at least six WTA 500 events per year before they start losing points.
Swiatek has featured in only two WTA 500 events (the United Cup and Stuttgart Open) while Sabalenka has played in WTA 500 events in Brisbane, Stuttgart, Berlin and Washington D.C.
With neither player set to feature again on the WTA Tour before the WTA Finals, both were “punished,” and their points for the season’s lowest-earning events were scrapped.
For Swiatek, her “worst” performance this year came at the Miami Open where she earned 120 points after losing in the fourth round. Sabalenka, meanwhile, lost in the second round in Dubai and loses 10 points from that event.
After the points drop, Swiatek finds herself on 9,665 points while Sabalenka is 9,706, thus a change at the top of the WTA Rankings with the Belarusian back at No 1 for the first time since November last year as she starts her ninth week at the top.
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Swiatek’s second stint at No 1 lasted 50 consecutive weeks as she took her overall tally to 125, which puts her seventh on the all-time list for most weeks at No 1 in the WTA Rankings.
But that is not the end of the “punishment” for both as they will also not feature in any events this week, thus they will again be punished for playing enough WTA 500 events.
Sabalenka will drop 65 points from Miami as she lost in the third round and will move to 9,641 points while Swiatek’s will slip to 9,471 points as 130 points from either the Australian Open or Wimbledon will come off.
The points penalties are also bad news for Swiatek’s hopes of finishing the year at No 1 as she will drop 1,500 points at the WTA Finals after winning the 2023 tournament undefeated while Sabalenka will drop only 625 points.
