Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has called for change on the WTA Tour after overcoming Naomi Osaka, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of Indian Wells.
Speaking during her post-match press conference, Sabalenka wants February tournaments removed from the WTA schedule, saying mandatory events put too much strain on players after the Australian Open.
“Scheduling tournaments? Yeah. Well, it’s a tough question,” said Sabalenka.
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“Me, personally, I wouldn’t have any tournaments in February after the Australian Open. But, you know, scheduling is such a tough thing.
“I would just take off this mandatory situation, because if you go far in one tournament, you just physically, it’s not good for your health to go and play another one because it’s mandatory.
“I would just take off this mandatory situation and then let the player choose where they want to compete and play, because if you make it far, the Australian Open, it’s too soon to play the Middle East swing.
“So I feel like the mandatory situation, it’s too much, like, we got to just lower that number. It’s too much.”
