Elena Rybakina and Alexander Shevchenko didn’t mince words after Kazakhstan’s semi-final loss to Poland at the 2025 United Cup, criticizing the tournament’s logistics and format as unfair and overly taxing on players.
Cross-Country Travel Sparks Discontent
A key grievance revolved around the requirement for teams based in Perth to fly across the country to Sydney for the semi-finals, a journey spanning over 4,000 kilometers with a three-hour time difference. This, coupled with the switch from outdoor to indoor courts, left players struggling to adjust in less than two days.
Shevchenko, clearly frustrated, called the format “ridiculous”:
“No, it’s not fair. We had to fly five hours, deal with a time change, and adjust to completely different conditions. It’s not the right thing to do.”
He highlighted how the conditions in Sydney—indoor courts that were faster compared to Perth’s outdoor, slower surfaces—added an extra layer of difficulty. The combination of travel fatigue and drastically altered playing conditions severely impacted their performance.
Rybakina: “It’s Just Not Enough Time”
Rybakina, Kazakhstan’s star player and a former Wimbledon champion, echoed her teammate’s concerns. She emphasized the toll of the quick turnaround:
“Of course, it’s not easy to fly for five hours and have only a day and a half to prepare and adjust. Starting at 10:00 made it even harder. Ideally, playing in one location would be better for everyone.”
A History of Tweaks to the United Cup Format
The United Cup, introduced in 2023, has already undergone significant changes. Initially played in three cities (Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney), the format switched to two host cities in 2024, with semi-finals and finals centralized in Sydney. The competition also reduced its ties from best-of-five to best-of-three matches, aiming for tighter, more competitive clashes.
Despite these adjustments, the logistical challenges of cross-country travel remain unresolved. Players have consistently voiced concerns over the strain of moving between vastly different conditions, particularly when the tournament reaches its critical stages.
Is Change on the Horizon?
Rybakina and Shevchenko’s critique isn’t the first time players have questioned the United Cup’s structure. With these concerns becoming more vocal, tournament organizers may face increasing pressure to centralize the event in one city.
As Rybakina concluded:
“Playing everyone in one place would be much better for everyone.”
Whether the United Cup will make further changes remains to be seen, but the feedback from players like Rybakina and Shevchenko underscores the need for a format that prioritizes fairness and minimizes logistical hurdles, especially for teams aiming for glory on the global stage.