Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina agrees with Aryna Sabalenka’s recent criticism of the tennis calendar but believes there will be no changes anytime soon.
Earlier this week, the world No.1 took aim at the sports governing body over the current rules requiring players to participate in a certain number of events or risk a points penalty. Top players like Sabalenka are required to play at least 20 mandatory events per season – four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000s and six 500s. Sabalenka told reporters on Thursday that this rule is playing a part in player injuries and she is willing to risk a penalty to protect her health.
Weighing in on the debate, Rybakina agreed that the schedule is ‘insane’ and argues that players should have more freedom in choosing when and where they want to play.
“We all want to have more freedom of choosing what to play, what not to play,” Rybakina said after suffering a surprise 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Karolina Muchova in the Brisbane quarter-finals.
“You’re kind of forced to play most of the tournaments, so it is not ideal.
“You don’t need to force anyone to play so many tournaments since it’s so tough on the body.
“It’s not easy to show the same good results, be healthy all the time.
“But it’s a topic which we have had for a long time, and I don’t see much changing.”
Rybakina was on a 13-match winning streak before her loss to former French Open finalist Muchova. During the clash, she produced seven double faults and won less than 50% of her second service points.
“It’s the first tournament of the season, so far it couldn’t have been better than this,” said Muchova. “It was a very tough match … [Rybakina] is a very good athlete, top-3 or top-5 player so I’m just glad I was able to serve it out.”
Muchova will next take on top seed Sabalenka in the semi-finals, who brushed aside reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-3, 6-3. Sabalenka now leads Keys 6-2 in their head-to-head.
This year’s Brisbane International champion will receive $214,530 in prize money.
