Aryna Sabalenka has only won the Australian Open this season.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka has revealed that she prefers watching men’s tennis instead of women’s tennis, as she has already played a lot on the WTA tour.
Aryna Sabalenka also spoke about her current form and possible ‘Big Three’ of women’s tennis. Since winning the 2024 Australian Open, the Belarusian tennis player has been out of form. After disappointing performances at the Indian Wells and the Miami Open, she reached the quarter-final at the Stuttgart Open, where she lost against Markéta Vondroušová.
However, during a recent interview with Punto de Break, the Belarusian tennis player said that in the last couple of months, she has failed to match the performances of Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina. She said, “I feel that I have lowered the level a little within that hypothetical ‘Big Three’, this last month seems more like a Big Two (laughs). However, I am happy to be part of this group. I hope to maintain my level and that they keep playing this way.”
Aryna Sabalenka later also stated that she prefers watching the ATP circuit as compared to WTA. She affirmed that she has played in the women’s circuit a lot and whenever she plays a match against the top-ranked players, her coach helps her make strategies and get prepared. As a result, she prefers to watch men’s tennis because it’s more interesting and involves a further resounding playing strategy. She added:
“I don’t watch their matches… I feel like I’ve played against them enough and that, if I face one of them again, my coach is going to show me images of their matches to analyze and prepare me. I’m not someone who watches too much tennis, I prefer to watch men’s tennis rather than women’s tennis, I feel like there is more strategy and it’s more interesting to watch (laughs).”
Next up, Aryna Sabalenka will be looking forward to the 2024 Madrid Open, where she has been seeded second. She reached the semi-final of the French Open last year, where she suffered a disappointing defeat against unseeded Karolína Muchová. Nevertheless, to win her first clay-court Grand Slam, Aryna Sabalenka would be required to win against the favourites such as Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina.