Aryna Sabalenka expects to skip events again this year rather than risk her health during a “crazy” season, even though she knows she will be sanctioned by the WTA Tour, the world No.1 said.
Top players are required to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 events and six WTA 500 events under WTA rules, and penalties for missing out range from deducting ranking points to fines.
Sabalenka competed in just three WTA 500 events in 2025 – Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin – making her one of a number of highly ranked players, including world number two Iga Sviatek, to earn ranking points.
Asked if she would change her plans for 2026, the four-time Grand Slam champion told reporters: “The season is definitely crazy, and it’s not good for all of us because you see so many players getting injured.
“The rules are quite tricky with the mandatory events, but I still skip a few events to protect my body because I struggled a lot last season,” the Belarusian said after beating Sorana Cirste 6-3 6-3 to reach the Brisbane quarter-finals.
“Even though the results have been really consistent, some of the tournaments I’ve played I’ve been completely sick or really exhausted from overplaying. This season we’ll try to manage it a bit better, even though I’ll be penalized for the rest of the season.”
“But it’s hard to do. You can’t skip 1,000 events. It’s really inconvenient, and I think what they’re doing is crazy. I think they’re just following their own interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”
The men’s and women’s circuits have faced criticism for their 11-month seasons, with both tours coming under fresh scrutiny during the “Asian swing” late last year with injuries piling up.
In September, the WTA told Reuters that athlete welfare was a top priority and that it had listened to views on the calendar, both from the players’ council and their representatives on the WTA board, to improve the structure of the 2024 circuit and increase compensation.
The British Boulter and Norrie suffer defeats
Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Cam Norrie both suffered defeats on the night.
Bolter lost in the round of 16 at the ASB Classic in New Zealand to No. 1 seed Elina Svitolina 7-5 6-4.
Nori advanced to the round of 16 at the Brisbane International as the seventh seed, but suffered a surprising loss to American Aleksandar Kovacevic with a score of 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 4-6.
Britain’s Sonai Kartal is in ASB Classic action on Thursday, against Germany’s Ella Seidel for a place in the quarterfinals.
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