Reem Abulleil was the first to report this news. The decision surprised tennis fans and media alike as everyone expected both players to compete. Below is each player's statement and what it means for their schedules going forward.
Swiatek's statement read, "I am sorry to announce that I will not be playing Dubai this year due to a change of schedule. I hope I will come back next year to experience the great tournament. See you guys in Indian Wells."
Sabalenka's statement read, "I'm really sorry I have to withdraw from Dubai. I have such a special connection with the tournament, the fans, and the city. Unfortunately, I am not feeling 100%. But I hope to be back next year and wish the tournament a great event."
Swiatek suffered a surprising quarterfinal loss to Maria Sakkari in the Qatar Open earlier this week. Meanwhile, Sabalenka has not played since her Australian Open final loss to Elena Rybakina on January 31.
As Swiatek mentioned in her statement, her next tournament will be the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The outdoor hard-court tournament is a Masters 1000 event on the ATP and WTA tours. The iconic event runs from March 4-15, 2026.
However, Sabalenka did not mention when she would return to action. It is possible that she returns for Indian Wells as well. Currently, Sabalenka has a singles record of 11-1 and with one title. Swiatek has a singles record of 7-3 with zero titles.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run from Feb. 15-21. The hard-court outdoor tournament has a grand prize payout of $4,088,211. Last year, Mirra Andreeva won the Masters 1000 event as part of her breakout spring on the WTA Tour.
I said in my last post I'd be surprised if Iga withdrew from Dubai, well I'm definitely surprised but pleasantly so.
She's actually sticking to her earlier statements at the start of the year about not playing all the WTA 1000s glad to see her prioritizing herself instead of chasing points.
Point chasing makes no sense as it doesn't allow any player to work on their game in order to improve as I mentioned in my last post it's incredibly hard to do while constantly on tour aka the hamster wheel.
Players don't get to rest properly either with the current crazy packed schedule.
So good for Iga for finally realizing that. It'll be better for the longevity of her career.
I hope she and Sabalenka do this more often, maybe it'll force the establishment to care about their players well being and they'll start prioritizing that instead of money and an overblown calendar.
If you want your top players to play make a better schedule otherwise you'll always have a depleted field.
No star players, no money simple as that.
Saba has never really liked or had success in the Middle East so her withdrawal is less of a surprise, but this double withdrawal might make the establishment think just a little more.
Might be really good for Iga mentally as well.
Hasn't been home since Christmas so I'm sure it'll feel nice to decompress at home and actually have some time to properly train and work on things before the Sunshine Double Swing.
Especially given both are 2 weeks long now.
Rest up, recharge and see you in the desert Iga.
Jazda!
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