World number one Aryna Sabalenka praised on Friday the WTA's mission to highlight the personalities of its athletes and called Saudi Arabia's investment in the women's tennis tour an important part of growing the game.

Iga Swiatek credited lower-ranked players before explaining why the WTA schedule is a larger factor in top-ranked players getting upset.

At the WTA Dubai, UAE, held at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Iga Swiatek is the bookmaker’s pick at +250. The event is currently in the quarterfinal

The MGM Rewards Slam will feature the WTA’s No. 1-ranked women’s player, Aryna Sabalenka, and the ATP’s No. 2-ranked men’s player, Alexander Zverev.

Yet, Sabalenka has not been herself lately. Not only is she in a slump after making it to the Australian Open finals, but she is showing signs of fatigue and frustration. Sabalenka is far from the only top-ranked player to struggle during the Middle East swing of the WTA schedule.

The No. 2 seed pointed to the tight turnaround from the Australian Open as a factor in Middle East exits from top players like herself, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff.

Top seeds like Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are on edge and lacking trust in the system following Sinner’s settlement resulting in a three-month ban.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka praised on Friday the WTA's mission to highlight the personalities of its athletes and called Saudi Arabia's investment in the women's tennis tour an important part of growing the game.

STEPHANIE LIVAUDAIS: There’s a power vacuum at the top of the ATP, but no one seems eager to fill it with Alcaraz, Zverev, Medvedev and Djokovic all looking out of sorts in February. The WTA’s very own Aryna Sabalenka, who won 11 matches in a row to start the year, is best poised to achieve the feat.

Aryna Sabalenka admits she is "not sure" if she would be a good coach for Iga Swiatek but did mention that she could possibly help the Pole in the mental department. In case you missed iT, the five-time Grand Slam champion named the Belarusian as the rival she'd be open to hiring one day as a coach.

She returned to action about three weeks after that disappointment, but it was clear to everyone that the repercussions of the AO final were still present in her mind. It is no coincidence that Aryna was prematurely eliminated in two very prestigious tournaments such as Doha and Dubai.

It promises to be an entertaining fourth day at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships with 12 matches on the schedule in the UAE. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predicitions for every match including Iga Swiatek vs Dayana Yastremska.