Aryna Sabalenka defends two-week WTA 1000 tournament format

Aryna Sabalenka has defended the two-week format of WTA 1000 tournaments following her second consecutive final appearance. The Belarusian fell to Iga Swiatek in the Rome Open final (6-2, 6-3), narrowly missing the title once again, as Swiatek had also claimed the trophy at the Madrid Open two weeks earlier.

Several players have voiced their complaints about some Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments extending from one week to two weeks. In tournaments like Madrid and Rome, the main draw has been expanded to include up to 96 singles players: 64 players compete in the first round, while the top 32 seeds receive a bye and start in the second round. This results in a total of up to seven matches for unseeded players to reach the final, while seeded players, like Sabalenka and Swiatek in both tournaments, play one fewer match.

While many players have opposed the extended two-week events, top players such as Elena Rybakina, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Caroline Garcia, and Alexander Zverev have criticised the format for being too demanding.

After her defeat in Rome, Sabalenka was asked about her views on the two-week tournaments, considering she reached the finals in both WTA 1000 clay events. The Belarusian has played 12 matches since her debut in Madrid on April 26th: "Well, I know that so many players are complaining about that. They would prefer a one-week tournament. Me personally, I don't know, it's a tough call," she began.

“I know myself. For me it’s better to have one day off. I'm able to forget about tennis for a day and to be kind of like relaxed, not be mentally too much,” Sabalenka said. “For me, these two-week events is better because I can balance everything and I can do well in two tournaments in a row. Before, when it was one-week event, it was just too much.”

“Sometimes matches are really high intensity. After you finish the tournament, me personally, I was mentally, physically off. I just wasn't ready physically and mentally for the next one. I would lose it in the first round and just go and prepare for Roland Garros.”

“I like it that way more because I have more chances to do well in the two tournaments in a row. Then anyway you have a week off before the Grand Slam, which is enough time to recharge and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the Grand Slam.”

Aryna Sabalenka's next challenge will be the French Open, where she had an impressive run in 2023, reaching the semi-finals. However, she narrowly lost in a tight battle against Karolina Muchova (6-7, 7-6, 5-7).