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<\/p>\nAryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, has labeled both the tennis season and the WTA Tour as \u201cinsane,\u201d referring to the intensity of the schedule and the consequences for players skipping events respectively.<\/p>\n
After beating Sorana C\u00eerstea 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Brisbane International quarterfinals, during a news conference Sabalenka was asked whether she would consider playing a lighter schedule, like Serena Williams used to do.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka said doing so was impossible, because of the penalties that come with missing mandatory WTA 1000 events (the rung below the Grand Slams), or with failing to compete in six 500-level events (the next rung down). Last year, Sabalenka and world No. 2 Iga \u015awi\u0105tek were deducted rankings points for failing to play enough 500s. Players can also be fined for missing events, depending on when they withdraw and for what reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe season is definitely insane, and that\u2019s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured and also the balls are quite heavy. It\u2019s a lot of struggle for all of us,\u201d Sabalenka said Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I\u2019m still skipping a couple events to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though the results were really consistent, but some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I\u2019ve been really exhausted from overplaying.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis 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. But it\u2019s tricky to do that. You cannot skip a 1,000 event. It\u2019s really tricky, and I think that\u2019s insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests, but they\u2019re not focusing on protecting all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
A WTA spokesperson said that \u201cathlete welfare is, and will always remain, a top priority for the WTA. We listen and engage closely with players on all matters relating to the tennis season, including through the WTA Players\u2019 Council and player representatives on the WTA Board.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to supporting athlete welfare and sustaining the long-term health of the sport. Based on feedback from our players, tournaments, and fans, we continue to review and explore improvements to our Tour structure, working in coordination with the ATP, ITF and Grand Slams.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n Aryna Sabalenka will play Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International. (William WEST \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Sabalenka\u2019s comments follow \u015awi\u0105tek, her main rival, saying in September during the China Open, where numerous players suffered injuries, that the WTA\u2019s mandatory rules had made the schedule \u201ca madness,\u201d<\/a> and that it was \u201cimpossible to fit everything in the calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a similar story on the men\u2019s ATP Tour. Carlos Alcaraz, the men\u2019s world No. 1, said in September 2024 that tennis\u2019s schedule meant that \u201cprobably they are going to kill us in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune have expressed similar sentiments during matches played in particularly oppressive weather conditions \u2014 the latter in October a couple of weeks before rupturing his achilles at the Stockholm Open.<\/p>\n Alcaraz, like Sabalenka and \u015awi\u0105tek, was a signatory of a pair of letters sent by a group of leading players to the Grand Slams last year demanding better pay, a greater say in how the tournaments are run, and additional contributions to player welfare.<\/p>\n The mobilization of the group also led to more players speaking out publicly about the need for change, and Sabalenka\u2019s latest comments are expected to be a portent for similar complaints at the Australian Open, which begins next week.<\/p>\n The players want to publicly put pressure on the Grand Slams, and many have given interviews to this effect. At the end of October, world No. 2 Jannik Sinner told The Guardian: \u201cWe had good conversations with the Grand Slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so it was disappointing when they said they cannot act on our proposals until other issues are resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cother issues\u201d Sinner referred to included the lawsuit the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) launched against the ATP and WTA Tours in March,<\/a> which added the Australian, French and U.S. Opens and Wimbledon as defendants on its New York City filing in September.<\/p>\n The PTPA has subsequently settled with the Australian Open but remains in dispute with the other three slams. The PTPA\u2019s lawsuit demanded better pay for players and more freedom to choose what events they play \u2014 something Sabalenka alluded to with her comments Thursday.<\/p>\n