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Aryna Sabalenka had had enough.

After nearly a month of unsatisfying contact with leaders of the WTA Tour, the world No 1 finally cut loose Sunday night in Cancun, Mexico, following her opening-night victory over Maria Sakkari, complaining about her safety on a tennis court that she had barely had time to practice on before her match.

Sabalenka (pictured above) said she felt “disrespected by the WTA” following weeks of tense and angry communications between the top female tennis players in the world and the leaders of their sport. The confrontations have been brewing for months but began to boil over in text messages and a series of player meetings at the China Open during the first days of October, people with knowledge of the meetings said Monday.

The discussions in China culminated with a three-page, single-spaced letter sent on October 5 and signed by Sabalenka and 20 other leading players, including Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova, the last two Wimbledon champions, and Ons Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam finalist.

The players requested immediate consideration of their needs for higher pay, a more flexible schedule that is more physically and mentally sustainable, expanded childcare and official representation on the WTA Players Council from their own, independent player organization, the nascent Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which Novak Djokovic co-founded in 2020.

The letter, which The Athletic has seen, ended with a request for “a written, substantive response to this letter and each requested improvement with a clear commitment by the WTA to address the issues stated above by Friday, October 13th.”

The players are still waiting for that written response.

Paula Wolecka, a spokesperson for Iga Swiatek, the world No 2, and four-time Grand Slam champion, confirmed Monday that Swiatek had sent her own letter to the WTA leadership, and was part of a “united front here in wishing for a real change.”

A spokesman for the WTA said “players have always been equal decision-makers to ensure a strong direction for women’s tennis,” noting recent efforts that will help increase player compensation by $400million ($329m) over the next 10 years. “We’re proud of these efforts and look forward to continuing to have these very important conversations with players and tournaments to keep building a strong future for women’s tennis.”

Instead of the formal response they requested, players received offers for two meetings with Steve Simon, chief executive of the WTA Tour, and other leaders of the organization on October 16, and then last Thursday in Cancun.

In addition, those who are participating in the elite WTA Tour Finals received a series of talking points which players could consider stating should they face questions on those topics. These included the WTA’s position on those meetings with WTA leadership, as well as the war in Israel and Gaza, and the possibility that the WTA Tour Finals or other tournaments might take place in Saudi Arabia next year.

On Saudi Arabia, where players who are gay may feel uncomfortable in a country which criminalizes homosexuality, the WTA advised players to consider saying: “I’m happy to play wherever the WTA Finals is hosted, it’s a prestigious event.”

On the meetings with WTA leaders, players were advised to consider expressing pride in the WTA’s efforts to increase player compensation and stating that they, too, look forward to continued conversations to “keep building a strong future for women’s tennis.”

According to people with knowledge of the meetings between the players and WTA leadership — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their positions — players left unsatisfied with the WTA’s response to their requests. Two top players were so frustrated they left last Thursday’s meeting before its conclusion.

Part of that involved the WTA’s refusal to allow a representative of the PTPA to participate in either meeting. Ahmad Nassar, the executive director of the PTPA expressed that sentiment in a letter he sent to Simon one week ago, which The Athletic has also seen.

In that letter, Nassar noted Simon had told him the WTA leaders wanted to speak directly with its athletes, without their agents, coaches or other outside influences.

“The reality is that the tour and tournaments are, in fact, outside influences having interests opposed to the players,” wrote Nassar, a former top executive with the National Football League Players Association. “The PTPA represents the playing group, and them alone.” Nassar also reiterated the players’ requests for a written response to their initial letter, noting that the failure to respond “reinforces the perceived lack of willingness to meaningfully engage and innovate.”

The latest requests in the October 5 letter included guaranteed pay of $500,000 for players in the top 100, $200,000 for players ranked 101-175, and $100,000 for players ranked 175-250. The men’s tour, the ATP, recently announced a plan to provide a similar guaranteed pay scale.

Also, the players want to receive compensation if they are injured and cannot play or if they take a break from the tour to have a child. The players also requested the right to audit the financial records of their tournaments, which they do not currently have.

The heightened tension of the past month follows a series of incidents in which many players have emerged frustrated with how tennis officials have treated women.

In Madrid in May, the women’s doubles finalists — Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia — were not allowed to address the crowd during the awards ceremony. The move came after Azarenka and other women criticized tournament officials for giving women’s matches unfavorable start times, and even providing a far smaller birthday cake to Sabalenka than Carlos Alcaraz.

Later that month, Rybakina had to wait until nearly midnight to play the Italian Open singles final, following a rain-filled day during which organizers decided not to move the women’s match to the next day and pair it with the men’s final.

In June, the WTA announced an agreement with tournament directors that will guarantee pay equity for men and women, but not until 2027 for the largest tournaments, and 2033 for smaller ones. Several top players said they did not understand why they had to wait, especially for tournaments that include women doing the same “work” as men but for less prize money.

WTA officials said tournament organizers needed time for a series of new business initiatives to produce enough revenue to support the higher prize money.

Through the summer, players expressed frustration over not knowing the location of the WTA Tour Finals for the third consecutive year, before the WTA settled for a one-year deal in Cancun, which rushed to construct a 4,000-seat temporary stadium.

Late last week, players still had not had a chance to practice in the stadium in Cancun, which has caused many of the players to complain about conditions at what is supposed to be the WTA’s signature event.

Anton Dubrov, Sabalenka’s coach, said Monday the court feels as though there are holes beneath the surface in some spots. The inconsistent surface has left some players with little idea of how the ball will bounce and unable to move freely or without fear of injury. The court is also a short walk from both the sea and a bay, making it prone to high winds in the final weeks of hurricane season in the Caribbean.

“It should be a celebration of the end of the year, but right now you feel like you have no control anywhere,” Dubrov said of the court.

In a statement Monday, the WTA said it had worked hard to complete the stadium “on an expedited timeline amid weather challenges to ensure the stadium and court meet our strict performance standards.”

Wolecka, Swiatek’s spokesperson, said Monday that Swiatek had found the stadium conditions “far from ideal” and much slower than on the practice courts.

“The situation is challenging,” Wolecka said. “She’s willing to discuss it with the WTA, but at the moment she needs to be focused on her performance and her job to make the best of these demanding circumstances.”

(Top photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images)