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| Aryna Sablaneka and Ons Jabeur react to the drama in Riyadh. (Image: @Ons_Jabeur |
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka might be better off sticking to tennis.
Aryna Sablaneka might currently be rated as the world’s best female tennis player but it seems a career switch to football is off the cards. The Belarusian is currently out in Riyadh for the WTA Finals, where she’ll be looking to cap a superb season.
The 26-year-old successfully defended her Australian Open title in January, and then backed that up with a first US Open win in September.
Her victory at Flushing Meadows elevated her to world No.1 above Iga Swiatek for the first time.
However for all her current prowess with a racket in her hand, it seems Sabalenka isn’t too reliable with a ball at her feet. The star took part in a promotional event in Saudi, where she had the task of taking a penalty with a number of ‘points targets’ on the goal in front of her.
Also participating was Ons Jabeur, despite not having qualified for the finals this year. And before her rival stepped up, the Tunisian star declared “she wants to try the other one,” with Sabalenka seemingly aiming at a gap near the top corner.
However, the three-time Slam winner contrived to shank her effort off to the right and comfortably wide of the goal. To make matters worse, the ball hit a photographer who had positioned herself to the side of the post, ready to get the money shot.
A mortified Sabalenka immediately rushed over to the female, who was fortunate the ball bounced off her head and didn’t make contact with her expensive camera. “I am so sorry,” she said, holding up her hands in embarrassment.
The photographer signalled that she was ok, but that didn’t stop Jabeur from getting in on the act. “Tell her you don’t have insurance,” she said, only for the woman involved to reply “No no it’s fine.”
The world No.31 wasn’t about to let Sabalenka get away scot-free though, and posted video footage of the incident on her X account. Along with two laughter emojis, she captioned it “Our world number one is doing serious damage in Riyadh,” and tagged her fellow professional for good measure.
Sabalenka gets her WTA Finals campaign underway on Saturday with a match against Qinwen Zheng. She’ll complete the group stages with further matches against Jasmine Paolini and Elena Ryabinka.
The pre-tournament favourite is out to capture the title for the first time. She’s only once made the final, surprisingly beaten by French player Caroline Garcia in straight sets in 2022.
- FRASER WATSON
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