Sabalenka raises voice against negligence on players’ protection!
World number one Aryna Sabalenka terms the tennis authorities ‘selfish’ by trying to follow their interest only, rather than caring about the players’ interest, considering the calendar. Players have been raising concerns about the schedule in recent months, saying it is too long and intense. Leading players on the women’s tour are expected to play at least 20 mandatory events – four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000s, and six 500s. Belarusian Sabalenka said she would skip some events this year to protect her body. “The season is definitely impractical, and you see so many players getting injured,” Sabalenka said after her 6-3, 6-3 victory over Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane International. She added, “The balls are quite heavy, so it’s a lot of struggle for all of us.” Sabalenka and world number two Iga Swiatek were deducted ranking points for not playing enough WTA 500 events last season. “I am skipping a couple of events to protect my body because I struggled a lot last season,” the 27-year-old tennis star revealed. Sabalenka divulged that despite having participated in a few tournaments and being consistent in terms of performance, she was forced to play with sickness and exhaustion. The WTA Tour has said player welfare will ‘always remain a top priority’. Four-time major singles winner Sabalenka says she is ‘definitely not at her peak’ as she builds up to the Australian Open, where she is targeting a third title in four years. Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys in last year’s Melbourne final.
Billie Jean King says, ‘Battle of Sexes’ between Sabalenka and Kyrgios has no historic value!
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios will meet in the ‘Battle of Sexes’ on Sunday in an exhibition match that reminds the tennis fraternity of the first historic ‘Battle of Sexes’ between legendary Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in September 1973. Women’s world number one Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, takes on injury-prone Australian Kyrgios in a highly publicised showdown that has not only divided tennis fans, but also raised questions over tagging the name of the exhibition match, as King herself feels this Battle of Sexes does not have any historic value. Rather, it is going to be only a high-publicity event. Although Aryna Sabalenka says the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios will continue to help women’s tennis, the 82-year-old Billie Jean King, while speaking to BBC, stated, “It is not the same. I showed that women are strong.” In 70s, when King and Riggs participated in the ‘Battle of Sexes’, the women’s professional tours were budding, fighting for their legitimacy and prize money for the female players, which was far lower than that for the men. King pioneered the battle for female tennis players, and her relentless effort off the court paid off as women nowadays are receiving equal prize money at each of the four Grand Slams. King added, “Ours was about social change. But this one is not. Mine was really political. It was rough, culturally, what was coming in with it. I knew I had to beat him for social change. I had a lot of reasons to win.” King, one of the all-time greats of the women’s game who was at the peak of her powers, trounced the 55-year-old Riggs, a top player in his day, 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3 in Houston.
