World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka recently responded playfully to a question about her potential performance against men’s World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Following her triumphant title win at the Australian Open, Sabalenka returned to the tour at the Dubai Tennis Championships, aiming to extend her success. However, her journey took an unexpected turn with an early exit in the opening round.
Looking ahead, Sabalenka is now focused on making her mark at the upcoming Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open during the hardcourt swing.
Before diving into her preparations for the North American tournaments, Sabalenka engaged with fans in a lighthearted Q&A session on social media. When asked by a fan about her prospects against Djokovic, Sabalenka expressed confidence with a casual response:
“Are you going to win against Djokovic?,” inquired an anonymous fan. “Easy call 😂,” replied Aryna Sabalenka via Instagram stories.
Sabalenka and Djokovic share a cordial relationship, often seen interacting during Grand Slam events. They recently joined forces for an exhibition match during the pre-tournament festivities at the Australian Open, entertaining the crowd in Melbourne.
During an interview before the Dubai Tennis Championships, Sabalenka was informed of an intriguing coincidence: her training sessions with Djokovic and his team last year preceded her consecutive Australian Open victories.
In response, Sabalenka humorously attributed her success to Djokovic’s influence and expressed a desire to collaborate further for more titles in the future.
In an excerpt from the interview, Sabalenka was asked about this connection:
“Aryna, I remember in the XO in Abu Dhabi the year before, you were hanging around with Novak. Same team, training together. Next thing you know, you’re winning back-to-back Australian Opens. Have you talked about this and are you trying to pull a Novak there?” inquired the interviewer.
“I guess I need to speak more often to Novak maybe. Maybe that’s why I’m winning. I need to talk about that,” responded Aryna Sabalenka. “But, no, we didn’t joke around about the topic.”
