Aryna Sabalenka clarifies incendiary comments saying she prefers watching men’s tennis
Aryna Sabalenka caused a stir when she suggested she would rather watch men’s matches than her rivals on the WTA Tour, but now she has moved to explain those comments.
The world No 2 was in jovial mood when she suggested she didn’t watch a lot of tennis, as she went on to claim she preferred watching the top male players performing on the ATP Tour.
“I’m not one to watch a lot of tennis, I prefer to watch men’s tennis than women’s, I feel there’s more logic and it’s more interesting to watch,” said Sabalenka while laughing.
That comment was always likely to spark a reaction, even if it did look a little more cold than Sabalenka intended it to be.
So it was no surprise that she was keen to explain the meaning behind her comments, as she spoke to the media after her compelling opening match at the Madrid Open ended with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win against Poland’s Magda Linette.
“I didn’t want to disparage women’s tennis, no,” she insisted. “Listen, I mean, we are doing our best and, great, there are lots of great matches.
“I don’t like to watch it just because I play against all of them and I just want to kind of like change the picture.
“I watch lots of women’s tennis before I go to the match, I watch my opponents, I watch lots of women’s tennis. It’s not like I don’t like it or like I try to offend what I do, you know.
“I just find it more fun to watch the men play because I spend a lot of time studying my opponents, so then in my free time I don’t want to see the girls I play against again.”
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Sabalenka was tested by the battling Linette, with her big-hitting power game from the baseline proving to be just enough to get her over the winning line.
It was a vital win for the player currently ranked one place off the top of the WTA Rankings, as she has not been playing with confidence in recent weeks.
The tragic death of her ex-partner Konstantin Koltsov in Miami last month may well have impacted her ambitions on the tennis court in recent weeks, as she admits she may have fallen behind world No 1 Iga Swiatek and No 3 Elena Rybakina.
“I feel like I’ve lowered the level a little within this hypothetical’ Big Three’, this last month feels more like a Big Two,” said Sabalenka.
“However, I’m happy to be part of this group and these things. They continue to play like this.
“I don’t watch their games, no: I feel like I’ve played against them a lot and that, if I face one of them again, my coach will show me images of the games to analyze and prepare me.
“I don’t think it’s about having confidence, it’s about being ready to achieve everything. The important thing is to be ready and prepared for big battles.
“The important thing is to stay in these games, fight until the end. I will fight for every point and, if I have opportunities, take advantage of them. That’s my mindset going into the clay court season.”
Sabalenka will be looking to find her form ahead of the French Open, with America’s Robin Montgomery her next opponent in the Spanish capital after her win against Britain’s Katie Boulter.
