Iga Swiatek practices on hotel courts in Cancun ahead of 2023 WTA Finals amid unfinished stadium controversy

Iga Swiatek was recently spotted practicing on the hotel courts in Cancun ahead of the 2023 WTA Finals amid the controversy surrounding the unfinished tournament stadium.

The 2023 WTA Finals event is fast approaching -- scheduled to be held from October 29 – November 5 at the Plaza Quintana Roo in Mexico. The majority of the qualified players, including Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova, have already arrived at the scene.

However, much to the tennis world's surprise, as per on-the-ground reports, the stadium is still in the making. Given the bizarre situation, the WTA recently drew the ire of the tennis community, with many fans taking to X to share daily updates on the unfinished court. The fans also grilled the governing body over the arrangement of practice courts for the competitors arriving early for preparation.

Amid the fiasco, Iga Swiatek, who was the first one to reach the Mexican city, having arrived a week in advance, was seen practicing on the courts provided by her hotel.

“Iga Swiatek practising on the hotel courts in Cancun, they have been resurfaced with the same colour combo for the main stadium,” a social media user wrote on X.

Later, the tournament’s official Instagram account, too, shared glimpses of the finalists practicing on the courts.

It is worth noting that Cancun was finalized as the venue for the 2023 WTA Finals only in September this year, following an intense bidding war, with Washington, Prague, Monterrey and Saudi Arabia also in contention.

While the tennis community initially warmed to the idea, the decision soon drew flak, when reports of the governing body spending a whopping $6 million to build a new stadium emerged.

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Maria Sakkari to join Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and others after Karolina Muchova's WTA Finals withdrawal

Maria Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek featured in the 2021 and 2022 Finals as well

Fortune has smiled upon Maria Sakkari as she finds herself in contention for the 2023 WTA Finals title alongside the likes of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka for the third year running. However, the Greek’s qualification this time around has come at the expense of Karolina Muchova's debut appearance.

2023 Guadalajara champion Maria Sakkari, who initially missed out on a spot in the WTA Finals by a narrow margin, was given a lifeline when World No. 8 Karolina Muchova pulled out due to a wrist injury.

"I am heartbroken to announce that I will miss my first WTA Finals in Cancun," Muchova announced on Tuesday, October 24. "Unfortunately, the time needed for the recovery is longer than we would've hoped for and therefore I had to make this unpleasant decision. "

Maria Sakkari reacted to the new update by admitting that she would have preferred qualifying fair and square. She, however, expressed her excitement about returning to Mexico, where she won her maiden WTA 1000 title last month.

"Not the way I wanted to qualify, but I'm super excited to be coming back to Mexico!" Sakkari wrote on Instagram.

The World No. 9, who has been the WTA Finals semifinalist in the previous two editions, will now look to make the most of her opportunity.