The WTA Finals has scrapped its traditional group photograph of the eight singles qualifiers this year. Previous editions featured individual portraits as a supplement to the group shot. However, in 2026, they are the tour’s only pre-tournament image release, shared on the WTA’s digital and social platforms on Friday, two days before play begins at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Instead of dwelling on controversy, the WTA attributed the change to a creative decision. The statement described it as a “fresh, personality-driven approach” built to celebrate “each qualifier’s individuality, personal style and unique story.” The release gave no other explanation, and the tour has not publicly said that any player objected to the group shoot before WTA Finals.
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Despite the clarification, fingers are being pointed at Elina Svitolina. Journalist Ben Rothenberg suggested the Ukrainian’s stance against posing alongside Russian and Belarusian counterparts was due to the ongoing invasion in her homeland.
“A group photo would’ve been off the table because of Svitolina’s longstanding refusal to pose for photos with Russians or Belarusians since the invasion began,” Rothenberg wrote on X.
Russian outlet Championat went further, reporting that the Ukrainian told the WTA shortly before the shoot that she would not appear alongside Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka, the Russian and Belarusian players drawn into her round-robin group. The WTA has not confirmed that account.
Svitolina’s alleged involvement sparked massive outrage on social media. Some fans criticized the WTA for the loss of a tradition, arguing that the tour could simply have gone ahead with the group photo even without her. Others pulled no punches, lambasting Svitolina and demanding the WTA ban her.
“Why is she messing up playing professional tennis where there are all those enemies?? She is ridiculous,” a user wrote on X.
“So everyone has to accommodate that woman. Great,” a user remarked.
“Yall being more concerned about the stupid a** group photo than about people being slaughtered every d*** day. genuinely go to h***. She’s sooooo real for ruining it for yall,” a user stated.
“Personally I don’t understand why so many of you are hating on Svitolina, it’s her choice to not be in a group photo and we should respect that. The WTA could have done a group photo without her, but it chose not to, so blame the WTA instead,” a user argued.
“We need to ban Svitolina from WTA tour,” another user added.
The decision landed in a week that was already uneasy during the buildup to the WTA Finals. On Wednesday, Jessica Pegula was recorded on a practice-court microphone making critical remarks about Andreeva.
A day later, the WTA apologized for failing to inform players and their teams that the microphones were live. The WTA has not said whether a group photograph will return in 2027, when the Finals move to Charlotte, North Carolina.
A look at key rivalry ahead of WTA Finals
The WTA Finals draw has put the central storyline on court in the first round of Group 2. Svitolina faces Andreeva on Monday, Nov. 9, in a group that also contains Sabalenka and Karolína Muchová. The pair have met twice at tour level and split the matches: Andreeva won their first meeting last year, and Svitolina won their Australian Open round-of-16 match in January. Neither finished with a handshake at the net.
Andreeva, 19, is the French Open champion and a WTA Finals debutante. Svitolina, the 2018 champion, is back at the event for the first time since 2019 and has won two titles this season, in Auckland and Rome. Sabalenka, the world No. 2, sits in the same group, while defending champion Elena Rybakina, the year-end No. 1, heads Group 1 with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Linda Nosková.
Edited by Shyam Kamal
