Sabalenka snaps at questions about her private life in Beijing

A sharp response to questions about her private life

Tennis player Aryna Sabalenka gave a sharp response to questions about her private life, which she was asked at two tournaments in a row — in New York and Beijing. The 28-year-old, who was born in Minsk, said she doesn't care what people think of her, after journalists once again brought up her activity on social media.

After winning her second-round match at the US Open in New York, Sabalenka had to fend off questions about her life off the court ahead of the tournament. “Is this a joke? What parties, what entertainment? What kind of question even is that? Do you think that because I posted some activity for different brands, it means I was just partying and not training?” she said, indignant, at the time.

The same topic came up again at the press conference ahead of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing. According to the tennis player, people judge others based on their own feelings: “That has nothing to do with us. If someone thinks they couldn't handle something themselves, that doesn't mean we can't handle it.”

Sabalenka clarified that she spends about 30 minutes a day on social media, and doesn't understand how that could possibly interfere with her training. Toward the end, she added, more sharply, that at this stage of her career she will be judged no matter what, as if she will never be good enough for her critics. “So why should I worry about what they think? I don't care,” she said with a smile.

The fight for the world No. 1 ranking

Despite reaching the US Open final, Sabalenka lost the top spot in the world rankings — she was overtaken by tournament champion Elena Rybakina. Under the current WTA rankings, the Belarusian trails the Kazakh player by 2,091 points.

Rybakina herself, however, faces tough title defenses ahead — in Ningbo and especially at the WTA Finals, where last year she beat Sabalenka herself in the decisive match. In total, the Kazakh player needs to defend 2,000 points, while the Belarusian needs to defend only half that amount.

Sabalenka has no intention of giving up: “I had a lot of problems this season, but in New York I genuinely enjoyed playing tennis. I felt healthier and full of energy. In a way, I'm sorry that we're already in the final stretch of the season.” If her words about her strong desire to play hold true, fans could be in for a genuinely exciting battle for the world's top spot by the end of the year.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz