World No. 1 Sabalenka slams 'insane' tennis schedule
World number one Aryna Sabalenka criticized tennis authorities on Thursday, saying they are not prioritizing player welfare amid what she described as an “insane” tennis season.
Speaking at the year-opening Brisbane International, the Belarusian star said she was willing to face fines for skipping mandatory tournaments in the coming months, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
Concerns over the packed tennis calendar have been frequently raised by top players in recent months. Men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz has also spoken out about the demanding schedule, while participating in lucrative exhibition matches. He is set to face Jannik Sinner in South Korea on Saturday, just a week before the Australian Open.
“The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us as you see so many players getting injured and also the balls are quite heavy, so it’s a lot of struggle for all of us,” said four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka.
“The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still doing that. I’m skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body because I struggled a lot last season,” she added.
She continued: “So this season we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end of the season. I think they just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”
There was no immediate comment from the WTA Tour. In October, however, the organization stated that “athlete welfare is always a top priority.”
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