Despite pushback from players, the WTA calendar could be set to grow by another tournament

The demanding schedule of the WTA Tour is back in focus after several top players withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The back-to-back nature of the first WTA 1000 events of the year at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships have proved too much for some of the best players on the tour.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina all pulled out of the Dubai tournament as the total reached a staggering 12 during the event.

As players continue to complain about the schedule, there has been talk of another WTA Tour event being added.

Monte Carlo Masters looking into adding WTA Event

The Monte Carlo Masters has a long history, and now there are discussions about whether to add a women’s draw. Tournament boss David Massey spoke to L’Equipe about the possibility of bringing in a WTA event.

“A women’s draw? We are open to it. It’s still a project, perhaps in the future. We have not advanced anything,” Massey said.

He also mentioned that “it has been discussed, perhaps holding a WTA and ATP tournament simultaneously.”

Massey pointed out that expanding the event would require some significant changes to the schedule.

“For that, we need more days. We remain open to it, but it is not the plan for now. It depends on the calendar,” he explained.

“We need more weeks between Miami (March 17–28) and our tournament and adding more days. It will be a long-term project.”

WTA Calendar clash with Monte Carlo Masters

During the men’s Monte Carlo Masters, the WTA schedule only features one event.

The Linz Open in Austria runs parallel to the first clay-court Masters 1000 event of the season.

Previous champions include Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, with Ekaterina Alexandrova being the most recent winner.

The tournament awards 500 ranking points, half the total given to the Monte Carlo champion on the ATP side.

It’s still unknown whether a potential women’s draw at Monte Carlo would carry WTA 1000 status or remain a lower-tier event.

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