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Athletes have found themselves courting controversies for a long time now. With the amount of influence they wield, whatever they say could end up being a contentious issue.
The world of tennis is no different. At times it's just a back and forth between two players who're not fond of each other. On other occasions, they attract attention due to their off-court activities.
With the rise of social media, the level of scrutiny results in an ever-increasing number of scandals. On that note, here are five of the most controversial moments that happened in the world of tennis this year:
#5 - Top players speak out against the WTA management after the WTA Finals debacle
The WTA's questionable choices have been under the scanner for quite some time now. However, the poor handling of this year's WTA Finals will go down as one of the most egregious instances of leadership.
The venue for the tournament was finalized just a few weeks before its start. If that wasn't bad enough, the stadium wasn't even ready after the arrival of the players. They were unable to practice and get a feel of the court conditions.
The court and the stadium were eventually in place, but the players' woes didn't end. Scheduling the tournament in the midst of the hurricane season in Cancun, Mexico, meant players had to deal with extreme wind. Matches were also delayed due to heavy rains.
The court itself wasn't upto standard. Players like Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, among others, had a lot to say about the poor handling of the entire ordeal. The WTA, meanwhile, defended itself against the criticism.
#4 - Players face the brunt of poor scheduling choices by the tournaments
The order of play on the biggest courts at almost evey tournament is divided into day and night sessions. Unfortunately, at times the last match of the day gets delayed either due to poor weather, or the prior matches going on for too long.
This makes life quite difficult for players who're scheduled to close out the day's proceedings. Elena Rybakina and Jannik Sinner were the most prominent victims of this year's scheduling mishaps.
Rybakina's quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina at the Canadian Open went on until 3 a.m. Her semifinal match on the next day got postponed due to the weather, which she ended up losing later on. The Kazakh labelled the whole thing as "unprofessional".
More recently, Jannik Sinner was forced to pull out of the Paris Masters due to poor scheduling. After competing well beyond midnight during his second round win, he was to be on court early the next day for his third round contest.
Sinner prioritized his health and chose to withdraw, but his fellow players raised their voices against the organizers and the ATP. Casper Ruud and Stan Wawrinka were among the players to rally behind the Italian in his support.
#3 - Madrid Open culminates on a bitter note
Female players have felt shafted by the Madrid Open organizers over the years. They've often spoken about how the management caters to the needs of men over them. This year, the tournament dropped the ball by silencing the women's doubles finalists.
Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia outplayed the American duo of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to win the title. Usually the finalists make a speech during the trophy ceremony, but this time they were denied the opportunity to do so.
The men's doubles finalists, on the other hand, were allowed to make a speech. Gauff then took to social media to voice her displeasure regarding the double standard.
#2 - Simona Halep banned for four years for doping
Halep was one of the most universally liked players, but her reputation took a hit when she tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 US Open. She was provisionally suspended after that, but her ban was upheld in September this year.
The ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) found Halep guilty of violating anti-doping rules and published its findings in a detailed report. The Romanian has vowed to appeal the ban and has proclaimed her innocence in the matter right from the start.
#1 - Novak Djokovic stirs up a controversy with his message for Kosovo at the French Open
Djokovic is no stranger to finding himself in the midst of some drama. His actions at this year's French Open opened yet another can of worms. Following his first-round win over Aleksandar Kovasevic, the World No. 1 wrote a message on the camera expressing his sympathies with the people of Kosovo.
"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence," he wrote.
But the message was interpreted as Djokovic still considering Kosovo a part of Serbia, a sentiment which is quite popular in his country. Kosovo declared itself as an independent nation in 2008, but tensions do flare between the two nations from time to time.
Djokovic's message came on the backdrop of another violent clash in Kosovo. His statement was not taken kindly, but he remained defiant in the face of mounting criticism.
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