Aryna Sabalenka on same page as Coco Gauff over | Sports News

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff could also be rivals on the court docket, however the two tennis stars seem to share a comparable concern in regards to the demanding schedule on the WTA Tour.

Sabalenka raised the difficulty after defeating Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-4 to achieve the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Following the match, the world No. 1 was requested about her choice to skip the WTA 1000 occasions in Doha and Dubai earlier within the season. Her response shortly become a broader critique of how the present tennis calendar is structured.

The Belarusian star defined that the stretch of tournaments instantly after the Australian Open could be particularly demanding for gamers who make deep runs within the first Grand Slam of the 12 months.

Sabalenka reached the ultimate of the Australian Open earlier this 12 months earlier than opting to skip the Middle East swing completely. That choice meant she didn’t play both of the WTA 1000 occasions in Doha or Dubai, each of that are thought of necessary tournaments for top-ranked gamers.

The 27-year-old believes the difficulty goes past simply timing. She additionally questioned the tour’s guidelines requiring gamers to take part in sure occasions.

“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,” Sabalenka stated.

Under present WTA guidelines, gamers who qualify for WTA 1000 tournaments are required to take part. If they skip these occasions with out a legitimate exemption, they obtain zero rating factors for the match, which might impression their general standings.

“I would just take off this mandatory situation and then let the player choose where they want to compete and play,” she stated. “Because if you make it far in the Australian Open, it’s too soon to play the Middle East swing.”

Sabalenka added, “So I feel like the mandatory situation, it’s too much. We got to just lower that number. It’s too much.”

Sabalenka’s stance echoes feedback not too long ago made by Coco Gauff, who has additionally expressed issues in regards to the packed schedule following the Australian Open.

Speaking earlier this 12 months, Gauff advised she might contemplate skipping the Qatar Open sooner or later as a result of of the short turnaround between tournaments and the journey concerned.

“I think the season is so packed,” Gauff stated. “Having a Grand Slam and then one week later two back-to-back 1000s… especially for American players it’s a long trek.”

The American star famous that the tight scheduling might play a position within the quantity of accidents and withdrawals seen during sure tournaments. “I definitely think that goes to show that the schedule maybe is a bit packed in that part of the season,” Gauff stated. “It’s something that the tour should consider.”