But despite all her worries, the world’s top-ranked woman is happy to have as much competition as possible before the season-opening Grand Slam in Australia.
Sabalenka defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International, where she will face fifth-seeded Madison Keys, almost a year after losing to her in the Australian Open final.
After beating Cirstea, Sabalenka was asked if, as a No. 1 player, she would try to manage her schedule like Serena Williams sometimes did.
“Well, the season is absolutely crazy, and that’s not good for all of us because you see so many players getting injured,” Sabalenka said. “What Serena did, the rules were different. At this point, like last season, towards the end of the season, because I didn’t play enough of 500 [level] events they fine us with points.”
Sabalenka said the “rules are quite tricky” with mandatory events, but that she still planned to skip some events “to protect my body.”
“Even though the results were very consistent, in some tournaments I played completely sick or was really exhausted from overplaying,” she said. “So this season we’re going to try to deal with it a little better.”
Sabalenka started 2025 with a win in Brisbane and ended it with a runner-up finish 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 season in a row, joining Williams and Iga Swiatek as consecutive winners of the honor over the past 25 years.
Despite criticism over the length of the season, Sabalenka said the strong draw in Brisbane makes it the ideal warm-up for the Australian Open.
‘By having [so] With a lot of top players you have in the draw, it definitely helps to prepare better for the Australian Open,” Sabalenka said. “It is important to play quality matches so that you mentally prepare yourself for fights, for battles.
“I like to challenge myself. I like good fights, especially on the way to the Grand Slam.”
Keys, with her left leg heavily taped, came back from a set and a break down to beat 12th-seeded Diana Shnaider 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) on Thursday.
“Always good to start the year with a little drama,” Keys said in a post-match interview after three hours on the court. “Glad we got that out of the way.”
Keys had played just two matches after her first-round exit at the US Open, so she is looking for plenty of time on the court before defending her title at the Australian Open, which starts on January 18. Her breakthrough in a major came at the expense of Sabalenka’s bid for an Australian Open three-peat.
Keys got more time on the court than she expected on Thursday, with three tiebreaks, a medical timeout to have her left upper leg taped after the second tiebreak and a 69-minute third set.
The American missed two match points in the 10th game of the third set, but did so in the decisive tiebreak. It continued its winning streak in Australia, including titles in Adelaide and Melbourne Park in 2025.
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking coming back,” Keys said. “Are [only] It’s been four weeks since we last played, but it’s always a matter of getting our feet wet and trying to find a good level. It’s always very important to be able to win games in week 1.”
Sabalenka said she views the quarterfinal against Keys as an opportunity to improve her game rather than a chance for revenge.
“It will be, as always, a great battle, really aggressive tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I’m excited to meet her.”
The winner will advance to a semifinal against third-seeded Elena Rybakina, who defeated No. 15 Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2, or No. 11 Karolina Muchova, who defeated seventh-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 7-5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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