via Getty
A net with the WTA logo during the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15th, 2019 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
via Getty
A net with the WTA logo during the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15th, 2019 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 2020 season has ended, but the problems between tennis players and the governing bodies have not. Former Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens again took a dig at WTA for the lack of communication regarding the upcoming 2021 season.
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The revamped WTA season will begin with the first-ever WTA 500 tournament. The WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi will begin the season on January 4th, followed by the Australian Open 2021 qualifying in Dubai. Reacting to a tweet about this information, Flipkens made a sarcastic remark as she revealed that she got to know about the tournament from Twitter rather than from WTA.
“Ah ok good to know. Thanks. Why do we actually have calls when we just find everything out beforehand anyway on Twitter all the time??” Flipkens tweeted.
Ah ok good to know. Thanks. Why do we actually have calls when we just find everything out beforehand anyway on Twitter all the time?? https://t.co/9LTNfLT8rN
— Kirsten Flipkens (@FlipperKF) December 13, 2020
Kirsten Flipkens’ suggestion for the coming 2021 tennis season
But Flipkens will be happy that there are WTA tournaments before the Australian Open. A few weeks ago, she had suggested on Twitter that the season could start in the middle-east as the Australian Open would be delayed.
“I know its easier said then done but why not, for example, play Dubai-Doha in January instead, and give Australia more time like this? Just thinking out loud..”
This isn’t the first time Kirsten Flipkens has called out WTA for the lack of communication. During the pandemic break, when all tennis events were canceled in China, Flipkens again got the information from Twitter rather than from the WTA.
I know its easier said then done but why not, for example, play Dubai-Doha in january instead, and give Australia more time like this? Just thinking out loud.. 🤷♀️
— Kirsten Flipkens (@FlipperKF) November 30, 2020
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Australian Open 2021 plans
The conundrum right now is that the Australian Open 2021 has been delayed to February 8th. February had a string of events in the middle east that now have to be rescheduled.
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Now with the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi starting on January 4th, players can play that and then fly to Australia to serve the 14-day quarantine. The pandemic has forced the Australian authorities to go defensive. The ATP and WTA calendars have to be reshuffled, and now many tournaments will have to leave their traditional time slots. Let’s see how the 2021 calendar shapes up.
Read More: “Very Complex”: Former ATP President Unsure About Roger Federer’s ATP-WTA Merger Idea
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