Aryna Sabalenka criticises busy tennis season

World number one Aryna Sabalenka slammed the tennis authorities, saying the season is insane, which is causing injuries to players.

The schedule has been criticised by a lot of players as well in recent times, saying it is long and intense.

Sabalenka is also cautious about her health, looking at the intense and busy schedule, saying she will skip some tournaments to manage her workload.

"The season is definitely insane, and you see so many players getting injured," Sabalenka said following a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane International.

"The balls are quite heavy, so it's a lot of struggle for all of us.

“I'm skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body because I struggled a lot last season.”

Sabalenka added that the results were quite consistent last season, but she had fitness issues and played through them.

"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,” she added.

"This season we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end."

Meanwhile, China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from the Australian Open, as she is recovering from elbow surgery.

"Making this decision has been incredibly difficult for me. Melbourne is my 'lucky place', where I won my first Grand Slam main draw match and had my best experience," Zheng said in a statement on Instagram.

"I have a special connection to this place, and I was very eager to begin my new season at Melbourne Park."

The first Grand Slam of the season is scheduled to begin on 18 January.