Frustration Mounts Tennis Fans Already in 2024 as They Expose WTA’s ‘Shameful Coverage’

The 2024 tennis season has begun in full swing. Top tennis players like Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek are already back in action. However, the controversial events haven’t been left behind, despite a new start to the year. Recently, a controversy erupted over the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Brisbane International. As a result, thousands of fans took to social media to talk about it.

Ahead of the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka is playing the warm-up event in Brisbane. Due to some reasons, the match wasn’t streamed on TV, and a journalist pointed out the sorry state of the WTA broadcast. Let’s dig deep into what exactly happened.

A tennis journalist slams the WTA after Aryna Sabalenka goes missing on TV

Beginning this year, the ATP and the WTA Tours will be streamed via Sky in the UK. However, fans were unable to see Aryna Sabalenka’s Brisbane International match, and the same was pointed out on social media.

DIVE DEEPER: Stefanos Tsitsipas Breaks Silence on Girlfriend Paula Badosa’s Stunning Equation With WTA Peer Aryna Sabalenka

Reacting to this, Stuart Fraser, a tennis journalist said, “This is a problem for the WTA in the early days of the new rights deal with Sky. The only option for those who wish to watch the women’s tour when it’s not on a specific channel is to consider illegal streams. Remains one of Steve Simon’s worst decisions to pull out of Tennis TV.”

The WTA has often received criticism for the broadcast of the matches in various countries. And this problem with Aryna Sabalenka only adds to the list, as fans of women’s tennis have to resort to illegal streams to watch the matches. This hasn’t gone well with them, who took to social media to voice their frustration.

Fans slam WTA for poor coverage

After fans couldn’t spot Aryna Sabalenka’s match on TV, it soon became a talking point, and fans took to social media to criticize the WTA for the poor planning. One fan took a sarcastic jibe, saying, “Got to love Sky’s tennis coverage. I want to watch Sabalenka’s match in Brisbane, but Sky Sports Main Event is now showing Broady vs. Rublev. There are no bonus streams. No other channels showing tennis. I cannot legally watch the WTA in the UK right now. An absolute joke.”

Meanwhile, another fan was brutal in slamming the WTA, and said, “Shameful coverage. Have they done any research? I miss prime.”

One of the Twitter users had an honest take on the situation. The comment read, “And then they will tell “WTA is so unpopular, who watches women tennis?”

Another fan also pointed out the increased cost of watching the matches, saying, “Agreed, it’s horrible. Prime was great and much cheaper.”

Lastly, one of the fans was shocked to see the state of women’s tennis coverage, and said, “With Amazon you could watch what match you wanted to. Shocking coverage.”

It is about time that the WTA sorts out this mess before it becomes too late. What do you think about the torrid condition of the coverage of women’s tennis? Let us know your views in the comments below.

Watch this story: ‘I Really Love…’ – Naomi Osaka Points to the Ancient Technique She Relies on for Keeping Calm 2 Years After Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas Vouched for It