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The satellite No 1 expects to skip events again this twelvemonth and look apt sanctions alternatively than enactment her wellness astatine risk.
Published On 8 Jan 2026
World fig 1 Aryna Sabalenka has accused tennis authorities of “following their interests” and failing to enactment subordinate payment archetypal implicit what she called an “insane” tennis season.
The Belarusian expects to skip events this twelvemonth alternatively than enactment her wellness astatine hazard implicit the people of the season, adjacent though she knows she is apt to beryllium sanctioned by the WTA Tour for doing so, the satellite fig 1 said connected Thursday.
Top players are obliged to vie successful each 4 Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events nether WTA rules, with the punishment for missing them ranging from rankings points deductions to fines.
In 2025, Sabalenka competed successful just 3 WTA 500 events – Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin – making her 1 of respective high-ranked players, including satellite fig 2 Iga Swiatek, to beryllium docked ranking points.
Asked if she would alteration her plans for 2026, the four-time Grand Slam champion told reporters: “The play is decidedly insane, and that’s not bully for each of us, arsenic you spot truthful galore players getting injured …
“The rules are rather tricky with mandatory events, but I’m inactive skipping a mates of events successful bid to support my body, due to the fact that I struggled a batch past season,” she said aft beating Sorana Cirstea astatine the Brisbane International.
“Even though the results were truly consistent, immoderate of the tournaments I had been playing wholly sick oregon I’d been truly exhausted from overplaying. This season, we volition effort to negociate it a small spot better, adjacent though they are going to good maine by the extremity of the season.
“But it’s tricky to bash that. You cannot skip 1000 events. It’s truly tricky, and I think that’s insane what they do. I deliberation they just travel their interests, but they’re not focusing connected protecting each of us.”
The fig of events successful the tennis calendar has been a predominant ailment successful caller months among the sport’s biggest names.
Men’s satellite fig 1 Carlos Alcaraz is different to person voiced interest astir the magnitude of tennis helium plays, though helium has besides signed up to diagnostic successful lucrative accumulation matches.
He faces large rival Jannik Sinner successful 1 specified lawsuit connected Saturday successful South Korea, hardly a week earlier the Australian Open.
The men’s and women’s circuits person faced disapproval owed to their 11-month seasons, and some tours came nether caller scrutiny during the “Asian swing” towards the extremity of past year, with injuries piling up.
English (US) ·