Elena Rybakina has expressed her dissatisfaction with the scheduling of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open before the 2024 French Open. She believes the two WTA 1000 events, both two weeks long, negatively affect players’ rest and recovery times before Roland Garros. Rybakina, currently participating in this year’s Madrid Open, refers to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open, suggesting their schedules would not be as problematic, as they are not typically held ahead of a major tournament.
Rybakina criticizes the tennis tours for being on the wrong track and notes that her efforts to enact change have not brought about improvements. She acknowledges, however, that she has no choice but to continue under the current circumstances. The 2022 Wimbledon champion emphasizes that it is difficult for athletes to perform their best given the intense schedules and frequent travel between competitions. In the Madrid Open semifinals, Rybakina will face WTA World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
