Aryna Sabalenka said she would risk fines if she skipped tournaments to avoid injury or burnout due to a tennis schedule she called “insane.”
Despite all her concerns, the world’s No. 1 women is happy to have as much competition as possible before the season-opening Grand Slam in Australia.
Sabalenka beat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International, where she will face fifth seed Madison Keys, almost a year after losing to her in the Australian Open final.
After beating Cirstea, Sabalenka was asked if, as the No. 1 player, she might try to manage her schedule like Serena Williams sometimes did.
“Well, it’s definitely been a crazy season, and it’s not good for all of us because we’re seeing so many players get injured,” Sabalenka said. “What Serena did, the rules were different. Right now, like last season, towards the end of the season, because I hadn’t played enough 500 [level] events, they inflict points on us.
Sabalenka said “the rules are quite tricky” with the mandatory events but that she still planned to skip some events “in order to protect my body.”
“Even though the results were really consistent, I was completely sick in some tournaments or I was really exhausted from playing too much,” she said. “So this season we’re going to try to handle that a little bit better.”
Sabalenka started 2025 with a victory in Brisbane and ended it with a second place at the WTA Finals in November. She played 16 tournaments, had a record of 63-12 and ended the year in the Battle of the Sexes match against Nick Kyrgios. She was named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, joining Williams and Iga Swiatek as consecutive winners of the honor over the past 25 years.
Despite his criticism of the length of the season, Sabalenka said Brisbane’s strong draw made it the ideal warm-up for the Australian Open.
“By having [so] “There are a lot of top players in the draw, it definitely helps to prepare better for the Australian Open,” Sabalenka said.
“I like to challenge myself. I like to experience great battles, especially before the Grand Slam.”
Keys, her left leg heavily bandaged, came back from a set and a break down to beat 12th seed Diana Shnaider 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) on Thursday.
“It’s always good to start the year with a little drama,” Keys said in a postgame interview after three hours on the field. “I’m glad we got this sorted.”
Keys has only played two matches after her first-round elimination at the US Open, so she is looking to get enough time on court before defending her title at the Australian Open, which begins on January 18. Her career breakthrough at a major came at the expense of Sabalenka’s bid for a hat-trick at the Australian Open.
Keys had more time on court Thursday than she expected in three tiebreakers, a medical timeout for her left leg to be taped after the second tiebreaker and a third set lasting 69 minutes.
The American missed two match points in the 10th game of the third set but made sure of it in the deciding tie-break. She continued her winning streak in Australia which includes titles in Adelaide and Melbourne Park in 2025.
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking coming back,” Keys said. “It is [only] It’s been about four weeks since we last played, but it’s still just getting our feet wet again and trying to find a good level. Being able to win games in the first week is always very important.”
Sabalenka said she viewed the quarterfinal against Keys more as a chance to improve her game than a chance for revenge.
“It will be, as always, a great battle, really aggressive tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I’m excited to face him.”
The winner will advance to a semifinal against third seed Elena Rybakina, who beat No. 15 Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2, or No. 11 Karolina Muchova, who beat seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 7-5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
