Written by Richard Pagliaro | @Itenisi_Manje | Friday, April 26, 2024
Aryna Sabalenka's Madrid games have become must-see TV.
Today, Madrid's defending champion, Sabalenka, survived a three-set test Maga Linette in his Madrid opener and clarified his tennis television viewing habits.
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Earlier this week, Sabalenka sparked a debate on social media saying that she prefers to watch men's tennis more than women's.
Today, the two-time Australian Open champion changed his comments.
Sabalenka said she watches women's tennis, mainly to check out her opponents, but she prefers to watch men's tennis because it is an escape that takes her mind off the pressure of her job.
“I didn't want to hurt women's tennis, no. Listen, I mean, we are doing our best and, well, there are a lot of good matches,” Sabalenka told the press in Madrid. “I don't like to watch it because I play with everyone, and I just want to change the image, and because I watch a lot of women's tennis before I go to a match,
“I watch my opponents, I watch a lot of women's tennis.”
Watching men's tennis is a lot of fun for Sabalenka because he doesn't have to think about the outcome of his draw.
“It's not like I don't like it, you know, like I'm trying to provoke what I'm doing, you know. I was trying to say that because I play there and it's too much,” said Sabalenka. “I'm just trying to watch men's tennis. For me, it's more fun, you know, than watching maybe my future teammates in this tournament.”
Sabalenka tries to catch No. 3 Coco Gauff and 4 Elena Rybakina to maintain her world No. 2 ranking. Next up for Sabalenka could be 26th-seeded Briton Katie Boulter or American Robin Montgomery.
Why is Sabalenka, who improved to 13-3 lifetime at the Mutua Madrid Open, so successful on the top red clay?
Sabalenka said that the above highlights her strengths and the city caters to her needs.
“I like Madrid. There are many things that make me like it,” Sabalenka told the media in Madrid. “The atmosphere in the stadium is amazing. The stadium is really high quality.
“The altitude definitely helps me. The high jump also helps me a lot here. Also, I like the city, a lot of good restaurants for me. I work out and I need to eat good food. A lot of good restaurants. here, so I have a lot of good things to do.”
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
