Sabalenka promised she would not do it but it just slipped out of her mouth.
Aryna Sabalenka promised to Tennis Channel’s desk she would do her best to avoid delivering any inappropriate words on air but then had a slip up which was followed by a hilarious reaction from both the world No. 2 and the host.
Sabalenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, is one of the most open players in her interviews and that sometimes leads to the Belarusian tennis star using a language that is not really acceptable. But it is always great fun with Sabalenka and that was also the case on Wednesday when Sabalenka came to Tennis Channel’s desk for an interview following her Rome Open quarterfinal win.
The interview was going well until Sabalenka was asked by host Prakash Amritraj about her “day in the life” videos she posts while traveling around the Tour.
“I just had the idea. I saw that people want to see it more often. Now it’s a goal in each city,” Sabalenka said.
“So far people like it. As soon as people start saying like, ‘Stop it. We are tired of this bullsh–.’”
Moments after having that word slip out of her mouth, Sabalenka stopped and turned her head in a disappointment for cursing. And Amritraj instantly burst into laughter.
“Again, it’s beep!” Sabalenka added.
Amritraj then shared the promise Sabalenka made before the start of their interview: “Before the interview started, she promised no F-bombs, no cursing, no nothing!”
Sabalenka responded: “It’s just something in my blood, cursing.”
Sabalenka on her love for Rome after reaching the semifinal
Before Sabalenka had a hilarious moment during her Tennis Channel interview, she got the job done on the court by ousting ninth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4. Now, the 26-year-old Belarusian is set to play in a Rome semifinal for the second time in her career.
In her previous five Rome appearances, Sabalenka had one semifinal but she didn’t really do particularly well – she twice lost in the first round, once in the second round, once in the round-of-16, and had that semifinal in 2021.
But after losing in the Rome second round last year, Sabalenka is having a great run at Foro Italico this year and she is two wins away from winning her first title in the Italian capital city.
“I love Rome. I love the city. I feel, I don’t know, so comfortable being here. I enjoy walking around. I enjoy good food, great restaurants. I enjoy the atmosphere in the stadium. I don’t know. Every time I was losing here, I was so sad. I felt like I lost on the Grand Slam because it was one of the dream tournaments for me to win. It’s still one of my dream tournaments,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka wasn’t sure if she would play her Rome quarterfinal
Before taking to the court against Ostapenko, Sabalenka dealt with a lower-back issue. And before deciding to play versus Ostapenko, Sabalenka did some testing to see how would her back react in certain movements. Luckily, the back responded pretty well and Sabalenka was able to play and ultimately win versus Ostapenko.
“I was testing my body on the warmup and I felt, `OK, I’m probably going to go on the court and play.’ And I’m super happy I was able to play without pain today. Hopefully, with every day I will feel better and better. I would definitely say that was the best performance of the tournament,” Sabalenka said.
In the Rome semifinal, fans will have a chance to watch a very attractice matchup between two big hitters – Sabalenka and Danielle Collins.
When Sabalenka and Collins meet in Rome, it will be their sixth meeting. Heading into the match, Sabalenka owns a perfect 5-0 head-to-head versus Collins. However, Collins – who is having her farewell season and recently won her first WTA 1000 title in Miami – has playing the tennis of her life lately.
And despite a 5-0 head-to-head record, Sabalenka plans to enter the Collins match with full respect for the American’s game.
“Danielle is in incredible shape and she’s been crushing it,” Sabalenka said of Collins.
In Rome, Collins has already defeated one Grand Slam champion from Belarus – she beat Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-3 in the Rome quarterfinal on Wednesday. And against Sabalenka, Collins hopes for another big performance.
“I’m going out with a bang. I want to go out playing my best tennis because I certainly wouldn’t want to go out playing my worst tennis. That does happen sometimes, unfortunately. It’s important for me to feel like I got everything I could out of myself as an athlete,” Collins said ahead of the Sabalenka match.
