By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday October 28, 2023
At this year's WTA Finals in Cancun, expect win to play a big role. Players talked about it on Saturday in their press conferences at length.
Photo Source: Getty
The last time the WTA Finals were hosted in Mexico – in 2021 at Guadalajara – altitude, and the conditions it produced, was the issue.
This time, in 2023, wind could be a problem.
On media day at the WTA Finals Cancun, players expressed their concern about the conditions as they steeled themselves for the mental battles that are sure to come.
“I guess to perform well here, you just have to kind of not care of everything that is going on around, just really focus on playing the best tennis possible,” said four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, echoing a sentiment that was expressed by all of the eight singles participants.
“It is what it is,” said 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. “I guess we're going to try to do our best to show good tennis, which is not going to be I think that easy with such a windy conditions.
“But overall, Mexico is really nice. I think we just try to do our best here.”
If you are handicapping the field, you might want to check on which players have had the most success in the wind prior to this event. A low ball toss on serve might help. Plenty of margin. Mental toughness. All of those factors will be in play if the wind continues to be a factor when round robin play kicks off on Sunday.
The temporary stadium built on site isn’t the type of structure that could shelter players from the wind. If it’s blowing on the beach, it will likely be blowing on the baseline.
“I'm trying my best to adapt to these conditions,” said World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. “Hopefully tomorrow I'll play my best tennis.
"We are all in the same conditions. It's not easy. It's not the perfect conditions for the WTA Finals. But it is how it is. I'll do my best to show my best tennis here.”
Newly minted Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff says he doesn’t mind a little wind. Having grown up in Florida, where the weather can be extremely hot and often windy, Gauff believes she’ll be ready.
“It looks like it's going to be a nice stadium. I'm excited to hit on it later,” the 2023 US Open champion said, before adding: “Yeah, the only thing is it's going to be windy. I'm from south Florida, close to Miami, so we get a lot of wind.”
All the women in the singles hope that they can find an edge and use it to their advantage. For 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, it might be her disruptive, arrhythmic game, and her world class drop shot.
“I feel like maybe you can use dropshots more,” said the Czech. “I feel like it's very tough to play in the wind. It's part of the game. I came a bit earlier, so I just get used to it.
“I feel like it's the same for everyone, so we just have to get used to it and try to play with it. We'll see.”