Aryna Sabalenka quips about resorting to tequila, blame game, and sugar after on-court heartbreaks as she leaves Dubai
Aryna Sabalenka Jokes About Tequila, Sugar, and Team Blame Game After Tough Losses
Aryna Sabalenka recently gave fans a glimpse into how she copes with difficult losses on tour, mixing humor with honesty in a candid Q&A session on Instagram. The Belarusian star is preparing for upcoming tournaments after a challenging stretch in Dubai and Qatar.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Sabalenka suffered a second-round exit at the hands of Clara Tauson, 6-3, 6-2. This followed another early-round disappointment in Qatar, where she was eliminated in her opening match by Ekaterina Alexandrova.
While traveling home from Dubai, Sabalenka answered fans’ questions on Instagram. When asked how she and her team handle defeats, she jokingly responded:
“Going shopping, eating sugar, a bit of drinking my fav tequila. Seriously, I blame them for losing and we are good. But for real, we go and work harder to fix and improve my game.”
Among other questions, she was asked about a country she wants to visit but hasn’t yet, to which she enthusiastically replied: “Braziiiil.” Another fan inquired about her reading habits, prompting her to admit:
“So embarrassed to say that… but I get tired after a few pages. Sometimes, once in a few years, I start reading a lot, but the enthusiasm quickly fades.”
Sabalenka Reflects on Australian Open Final Loss
The Australian Open marked Sabalenka’s second event of the 2025 season. She made an impressive run to the final, defeating several top players along the way. However, in the championship match, she fell short against Madison Keys, missing the chance to defend her title.
Speaking to Reuters, Sabalenka reflected on the key mistake that cost her the match:
“I would have tried not to out-hit her but to play more tactically. And probably the most important thing—boldly going after the ball,” she admitted.
She added that learning to adapt during the warm-up could be crucial:
“Now it’s tough to say what the most important lesson is because the match was so complete. It may be to adapt during the warm-up, so that you go out on court as charged as possible and can move around from the very beginning.”
Sabalenka began her 2025 campaign at the Brisbane International, where she claimed the title by defeating Polina Kudermetova in the final. Despite recent setbacks, she remains focused on refining her game as the season progresses.
