The world number one announces that she will skip mandatory tournaments despite the threat of fines.
Aryna Sabalenka has sharply criticized tennis associations, accusing them of failing to take the health of players into consideration. At the season opener in Brisbane, the world number one spoke of a “crazy” tournament calendar and announced that she would skip some mandatory tournaments despite the threat of fines.
“The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for any of us, as you can see, because so many players are getting injured,” Sabalenka said. The four-time Grand Slam winner also spoke of “pretty heavy” balls, which put additional strain on the body.
“The rules are pretty tricky with the mandatory tournaments, but I’m skipping a few events to protect my body because I suffered a lot last season,” Sabalenka said. This season, she wants to “manage it a little better, even if they penalize me.” The associations are “only pursuing their own interests,” she said. “But they’re not focused on protecting all of us.” Carlos Alcaraz, the number one in the ATP world rankings, had also recently expressed concerns, although he agreed to play lucrative exhibition matches such as Saturday’s duel against Jannik Sinner in South Korea – just a few days before the Australian Open.
