The 2021 WTA Finals will unfortunately not feature many of the top female tennis players in the world. The likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty are three such star names who will not be taking part in this year’s WTA Finals for varying reasons.
But on the bright side, a brand new set of up-and-coming female stars will be ready to fight it out for the title in Guadalajara, Mexico. Six of the eight participants will be making their first appearance in the season-ending tournament, which will make for some interesting viewing.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares all the latest news and updates on the 2021 WTA Finals, which begins this week.
WTA Finals groups revealed
The 2021 WTA Finals draw was revealed after it was held at a private gala at the Palacio Municipal de Zapopan.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka headlines the Group Chichen Itza, which also features No. 4 seed Maria Sakkari, No. 5 Iga Swiatek, and No. 7 Paula Badosa, who had a historic win at Indian Wells to secure her spot in the season-ending tournament.
Meanwhile, Group Teotihuacan is composed of No. 2 Barbora Krejcikova, No. 3 Karolina Pliskova, No. 6 Garbine Muguruza, and No. 8 Anett Kontaveit.
Of the eight players, Pliskova and Muguruza are the only two to have experience playing in the season-ending tournament. Pliskova has actually qualified for five straight years and has made the semi-finals in each of the past three.
Pliskova has an impressive 13-2 record against her Group Teotihuacan foes, including an 8-2 record against Muguruza, so her WTA Finals 2021 odds could end up paying off.
Meanwhile, top seed Sabalenka has a 5-2 record against Group Chichen Itza foes, including a 4-1 record against Maria Sakkari.
After a single round-robin in the group stage, the top two players from each group will move on to the semi-finals.
Defending champion Barty, other stars absent
The WTA Finals will make its triumphant return after it was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. However, it will be without 2019 champion and world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who opted to pull out of the tournament in October, citing her desire to focus preparing on her home Grand Slam, the Australian Open.
“I wanted to let everyone know that I won’t be competing in any further tournaments in 2021, including the WTA Finals in Mexico,” Barty said in a statement announcing her withdrawal.
“It was a difficult decision, but I need to prioritise my body and my recovery from our 2021 season and focus on having the strongest pre-season for the Australian summer.
“With the ongoing challenges of travelling back to Queensland and quarantine requirements, I am not willing to compromise my preparation for January.
“I wish the WTA team and the players all the best for a successful WTA Finals and rest of the year.”
Aside from Barty, superstars Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka also won’t be participating in Gudalajara. The 40-year-old Williams is still recovering from the hamstring injury which kept her out for most of the season. Meanwhile, Osaka is on another hiatus after her US Open defeat.
Ons Jabeur pulls out as on-site alternate
Ons Jabeur also recently added to the players who opted to pull out of the tournament. The Tunisian was slated to be an on-site alternate but decided to withdraw to start preparing for next season.
“I am sorry to announce that I won’t be able to go to Guadalajara as an alternate. I need more time to recover and prepare for next season,” she said on Twitter.
Jabeur, the first Arab tennis player to break into the world’s top 10, had a breakout season where she reached No. 7 in the world ranking, the highest in her career. However, she just barely missed out on qualifying for the WTA Finals.
With Jabeur pulling out, American Jessica Pegula and Belgium’s Elise Mertens will now be the two on-site alternates in Guadalajara.
Annet Kontaveit enters WTA Finals on fire
Jabeur missed out on a spot in the WTA Finals in large part because of Anett Kontaveit’s absolutely stunning form to end the season.
The 25-year-old Estonian has won 10 straight matches and 26 of her last 28, which saw her claim all four of her titles this season. That includes her terrific run at the Transylvania Open, where she defeated hometown hero and former world No. 1 Simona Halep in the final. That win was enough for Kontaveit to leapfrog Jabeur in the final standings by 76 points.
The in-form Kontaveit will look to create some WTA Finals 2021 highlights as she goes in search of her fifth title of the season.
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