Dubai withdrawals reach record-breaking number before round of 16

[p]That is a record number for elite WTA and ATP events, excluding Grand Slams. The previous record belonged to the Shanghai Masters 2009 and Madrid 2025, both with nine retirements or walkovers.[/p][p][b]If we also count withdrawals from qualifying, the number of retirements in Dubai rises to 24 (55% of the original draw).[/b][/p][embed guid="6cb92cba-c884-40cc-b695-9c224f41a764" url="https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/2023380295597326789" social-type="twitter" /][p]On Tuesday, Spain’s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/badosa-paula/Wl76rX3I/"]Paula Badosa[/a] and Germany’s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/seidel-ella/WSCEkk6I/"]Ella Seidel[/a] were forced to retire from their matches in Dubai.[/p][p]Badosa left the court after losing the first set to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Elina Svitolina[/a] by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/badosa-gibert-paula-Wl76rX3I/svitolina-e-jyngIesG/?mid=QZhxnnd3"]6-4[/a]. The Spaniard may have felt a recurrence of a back issue.[/p][p]Seidel, meanwhile, withdrew from her match against Romanian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cristian-jaqueline/vo9FVe2A/"]Jaqueline Cristian[/a] after not feeling well, and after suffering a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/cristian-j-a-vo9FVe2A/seidel-e-WSCEkk6I/?mid=2gqA5Xhg"]bagel in the first set[/a].[/p][p]Czech player Sara Bejlek and Australia’s Daria Kasatkina also withdrew from their second-round matches shortly before taking the court, both due to injury.[/p][embed guid="6b6db386-f1a4-4c57-a953-5aced08f17ab" url="https://x.com/WTA/status/2023760783948001466" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Major withdrawals[/h2][p]The tournament was already missing key players before the draw, as world number one Aryna Sabalenka and number two Iga Swiatek announced their withdrawals.[/p][p]The situation worsened after the WTA 1000 final in Doha over the weekend, when champion Karolina Muchova and runner-up Victoria Mboko pulled out of the trip to the United Arab Emirates.[/p][p]Soon after, Maria Sakkari and Zheng Qinwen also announced they would not play in Dubai due to illness.[/p][p]The growing list of withdrawals led the tournament director to call for stricter penalties for players.[/p][embed guid="4659ee2b-fa54-4489-a242-c9ac9261a557" url="https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/2023064594974224829" social-type="twitter" /][h2]All withdrawals from Dubai (before the round of 16):[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Aryna Sabalenka[/a] (Right hip injury)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/swiatek-iga/jNyZsXZe/"]Iga Swiatek[/a] (Schedule change)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolina Muchova[/a] (Schedule change)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mboko-victoria/AqVez8TJ/"]Victoria Mboko[/a] (Right elbow injury)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kasatkina-daria/GU42elks/"]Daria Kasatkina[/a] (Right hip injury)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krejcikova-barbora/2FyACZYi/"]Barbora Krejcikova[/a] (Left thigh injury)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sakkari-maria/KjsokFUj/"]Maria Sakkari[/a] (Illness)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zheng-qinwen/xCyEhjAS/"]Zheng Qinwen[/a] (Illness)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/badosa-paula/Wl76rX3I/"]Paula Badosa[/a] (Undisclosed injury) – [b]walkover[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cocciaretto-elisabetta/pA0aW3EL/"]Elisabetta Cocciaretto[/a] (Left thigh injury)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bejlek-sara/jVCKq0LH/"]Sara Bejlek[/a] (Abdominal injury)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/baptiste-hailey/Cjagsdf4/"]Hailey Baptiste[/a] (Abdominal injury) – [b]walkover[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/seidel-ella/WSCEkk6I/"]Ella Seidel[/a] (Illness) – [b]walkover[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/tennis/wta-singles/dubai/"]Follow the Dubai Tennis Championships with Flashscore![/a][/b][/p]