Aryna Sabalenka says she is willing to be penalised for missing events during 2026 in order to protect her health and has criticized the WTA’s schedule.
Under current rules, players are required to participate in a certain number of events throughout the season, unless they have a valid reason not to do so, such as injury or illness. Should they fail to meet these requirements, they face point penalties, which happened to both Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek last year. The duo was deducted points for failing to play enough mandatory WTA 500 events, which is set at six.
Sabalenka, who is currently playing at the Brisbane International, renewed her criticism of the rules during her press conference on Thursday when a journalist asked her about Serena Williams, who opted not to play certain events when she was at the top of her game. The world No.1 believes the current calendar is playing a role in player injuries and has also criticised the types of balls used on Tour.
“The season is definitely insane and that is not good for all of us, as you see with so many players getting injuries,” Sabalenka said after beating Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-3, in the third round.
“The balls are also quite heavy so it is a lot of struggle for all of us.
“With what Serena did, the rules were different. Last season because I didn’t play enough 500 events they fined us points, me and Iga (Swiatek).
“The rules are quite strict but I am still skipping events.”
Elaborating further, Sabalenka has accused organizers of not focusing on players’ health and prioritizing their own objectives. Depending on how this season goes, it remains to be seen how significant any point penalty will be for Sabalenka or any other player. However, her intention to potentially miss certain events and risk a penalty is driven by her goal of “protecting her body”.
“I struggled last season where some of the tournaments I played really sick or really exhausted from over-playing,” she said.
“This season we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they may fine me by the end of the season. It is tricky to do that. You cannot skip a 1000 event. It is really tricky.
“I think it is insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests but they are not focusing on protecting all of us.”
Top players on the WTA Tour are expected to play at least 20 mandatory events during a season. These include the four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000s and six 500s. The WTA has previously stated that player welfare is its top priority.
In Brisbane, Sabalenka will next play reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
