Tennis Stars Discuss Penalties for Tournament Withdrawals

Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula open up about the financial consequences of pulling out of events

Feb. 25, 2026 at 5:38am

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In a recent podcast episode, tennis players Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula discussed the realities of withdrawing from tournaments on the WTA Tour. They explained that players are allowed two withdrawals per year without incurring a fine, but exceeding that limit can result in significant financial penalties that are determined by a player's ranking and the total number of tournaments they have withdrawn from.

Why it matters

Tournament withdrawals are a common occurrence in professional tennis, but the financial penalties imposed on players who exceed their allotted number of withdrawals per year can have a major impact on their earnings and overall career. This discussion provides insight into the challenges players face when dealing with injuries, schedule changes, and other personal matters that may force them to pull out of events.

The details

Keys and Pegula explained that players are allowed two withdrawals per year without facing any fines. However, if they exceed that limit, the penalties can be substantial, especially for top-ranked players. For example, if a player ranked in the top 10 makes their sixth withdrawal of the year, they could be fined 'a lot of money.' The players also noted that withdrawals due to an ongoing injury are counted as a single withdrawal rather than multiple if the player can demonstrate it is a 'continuous' issue.

  • Keys withdrew from the 2026 Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2026.
  • Pegula withdrew from the Doha and ATX Open events in February 2026.

The players

Madison Keys

An American professional tennis player who has won one Grand Slam title and reached the finals of multiple other major tournaments.

Jessica Pegula

An American professional tennis player who has won multiple WTA titles and is currently ranked among the top 10 players in the world.

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What they’re saying

“You are allowed two withdrawals per year with no fine, but if it's a mandatory event, you still get the zero. And if you don't play your required amount of 500s and you're pulling out of another one, that's also a zero. For a 250 if it is in your allowed withdrawals, you don't get a fine, and there's no zero.”

— Madison Keys, Professional Tennis Player

“It's a lot of money. You can use continuous ones. For example, let's say I pull out of Madrid with an injury. I used one of my excuses, but I sent it in as an injury. Send in my doctor's note. If you pull out of Rome for the following tournament, you can use that as a continuous injury withdrawal, and it will only count as one, and you can use that, I think, as many times as you want.”

— Jessica Pegula, Professional Tennis Player

What’s next

Keys and Pegula are both scheduled to compete at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, which will take place from March 4 to March 15, 2026.

The takeaway

This discussion highlights the financial challenges that professional tennis players face when dealing with injuries, schedule changes, and other personal matters that may force them to withdraw from tournaments. The strict withdrawal policies and significant fines imposed by the WTA can have a major impact on a player's earnings and overall career, underscoring the need for careful planning and management of their tournament schedule.