Aryna Sabalenka: Prioritizes Health over the “Insane” Tennis Calendar
The world’s number one tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, has expressed her concern about the extensive tennis tournament calendar, describing it as “insane.” The Belarusian player has stated her willingness to accept fines in order to skip some events to avoid injuries and physical exhaustion. Despite her concerns, Sabalenka is happy with the high level of competition she is facing before the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season. Sabalenka achieved a victory over Sorana Cirstea with a score of 6-3, 6-3, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International. In this phase, she will face Madison Keys, in a rematch of the Australian Open final from the previous year.Sabalenka has pointed out the differences in the current rules compared to the past, mentioning that in the previous season, the lack of participation in 500-level events resulted in point penalties. The tennis player plans to skip some events to “protect her body”, even if that means facing sanctions. The athlete pointed out that, despite her good results, she has played some tournaments while sick or exhausted. Therefore, she will seek to manage her schedule more effectively this season. Sabalenka, who started 2025 with a victory in Brisbane and finished as runner-up at the WTA Finals in November, had an outstanding season with 16 tournaments played and a record of 63-12. In addition, she participated in the “Battle of the Sexes” match against Nick Kyrgios and was named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Despite her criticisms of the calendar, Sabalenka considers the strong competition in Brisbane to be ideal preparation for the Australian Open.The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as many players are seen getting injured.
Aryna Sabalenka
In the tournament, Madison Keys, with a left leg injury, achieved a victory over Diana Shnaider with a score of 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4). Keys, who is seeking court time before the Australian Open, which begins on January 18, highlighted the importance of winning matches in the first week. Sabalenka considers the match against Keys as an opportunity to improve her game more than a rematch. The winner of this match will advance to the semifinals against Elena Rybakina or Karolina Muchova.It’s important to have quality matches to prepare mentally for battles.
Aryna Sabalenka
