World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said she will risk fines and losing ranking points by skipping some tournaments this year to protect her body, calling the current tennis schedule “insane.”
Sabalenka was asked after moving into the Brisbane International quarterfinals with Thursday’s victory over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea whether she would consider limiting her playing schedule similar to how Serena Williams did in some seasons.
“Well, the season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured,” Sabalenka said. “What Serena did, the rules were different. Right now, like last season, by the end of the season, because I didn’t play enough of 500 (level) events, they fine us with points.”
WTA Tour players face penalties for missing mandatory WTA 1000 events, which are just below the four Grand Slams in terms of importance. They also must compete in at least six 500-level events.
Sabalenka and No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek were deducted rankings points last year for failing to compete in the minimum amount of 500 events. That won’t deter Sabalenka from managing her schedule to prevent injuries after posting a 63-12 record while playing in 16 tournaments.
“The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still skipping a couple events to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season,” she said.
Emma Raducanu, Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina were among several players who ended their 2025 seasons early, citing a combination of injuries and fatigue. Sabalenka said that despite her strong 2025 season, the wear and tear on her body was difficult and criticized the tour’s priorities with the packed schedule.
“Even though the results were really consistent, but some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I’ve been really exhausted from overplaying,” the 27 year old from Belarus said. “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.
“But it’s tricky to do that. You cannot skip a 1,000 event. It’s really tricky, and I think that’s insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”
Sabalenka will face American Madison Keys in the quarterfinals in Brisbane, nearly a year after Keys won their matchup in the Australian Open final.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka won her second consecutive U.S. Open in September.
–Field Level Media
