"Make it easier on us" - Elena Rybakina calls on WTA to improve scheduling to protect health of players and prevent injuries on tour

Elena Rybakina recently called on the WTA to improve scheduling to protect the players from injuries.

Rybakina advanced to the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open by overcoming Mayar Sherif on Sunday, April 28. She broke Sherif three times and won 70 points out of the 122 that the two played for to close the match 6-1, 6-4 in a little over 90 minutes.

This is Rybakina's fourth appearance at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid. She debuted there in 2021 but could only reach as far as the second round and returned the following year and improved her performance only slightly by getting to the third. In 2023, she again fell in the second round. Hence, the Kazakhsatni's ongoing campaign has already become her best.

After the win, the World No. 4 chatted with Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj. Among numerous other things, Amritraj asked her if she had any suggestions for the WTA for the betterment of the sport.

Having flagged the scheduling woes on multiple occasions before, Rybakina highlighted the issues once again, saying (at 3:23):

"For us, it’s very difficult schedule, that's for sure. Of course, people want to see quality matches. It’s not easy to perform when you are traveling so much and you have week by week tournament."

She reasoned a more relaxed calendar year would help players a great deal in avoiding health issues:

"I think the most important thing to have this consistency so the players don't get injured, that's the most important so I will say just to make it a little bit easier on us just health wise."

Notably at the Canadian Open last year, Elena Rybakina had straight out called the WTA leadership "weak" after a 3-am finish to her quarterfinal match.

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Elena Rybakina pulled out of 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships QF citing gastrointestinal issues day after hinting at physical exhaustion

Elena Rybakina was forced to withdraw from her match against eventual champion Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships due to gastrointestinal problems.

Rybakina had notably hinted at physical woes in her on-court interview after earning a hard-fought win over Poland's Magdalena Frech a day before announcing her withdrawal.

Before traveling to Dubai, Rybakina had made deep runs at the Abu Dhabi Open and Qatar Open in an interval of two weeks. She was crowned the champion in Abu Dhabi on February 11 and was on the court two days later in Qatar, where she registered a runner-up finish on February 17.

At the 2024 Madrid Open, the former Wimbledon champion doesn't have a resting day to recover for her next match as she takes on Sara Bejlek in the fourth round on Monday, April 29.