Aryna Sabalenka said she may not return to the Dubai Championships again after the director of the WTA 1000 tournament criticised her withdrawal earlier this year and called for tougher punishments for players who skip events.
Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were among some of the top players to miss the Dubai tournament in February, with the World No 1 explaining that she wanted to manage her schedule after reaching the Australian Open final in January and did not feel “100 per cent”.
