Sabalenka to skip events in 2026 to prioritise her health

Key Highlights

• In 2025, Sabalenka competed in just three WTA 500 events — Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin — making her one of ​a number of high-ranked players, including world number two ⁠Iga Swiatek, to be docked ranking points.
• Asked if she would change her plans for 2026, the four-times Grand Slam champion told reporters: “The season is definitely ​insane, and that's not good ⁠for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured ...” "The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I'm still skipping a couple events in order to ‌protect my body, because I struggled a lot last ‌season," the Belarusian said after beating Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane International.
• "Even though the results were really ‍consistent, some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I've been really exhausted from overplaying.
• This season we ‍will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end of the season.
• "But it's tricky to do that.