By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, Could 25, 2025
Photograph credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Tennis is a solo sport, however stays a household affair for Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka’s beloved father Sergey launched her to tennis after driving by a neighborhood tennis courtroom when she was six years outdated. Her father instinctively felt his daughter would love the sport, rotated and introduced her again to the tennis courtroom.
World No. 1 Sabalenka launched her quest for a maiden Roland Garros title at this time meting out the most important beat-down of her French Open profession. Sabalenka stormed via 9 straight video games crushing Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 6-0 to achieve the Roland Garros second spherical along with her most lopsided win in Paris.
Afterward, Sabalenka shared her dad and mom have been by no means pushy or demanding when it got here to her tennis.
The truth is, the US Open champion stated her dad and mom solely made on request of her: Do not smash racquets on courtroom.
Spoiler alert: Sabalenka didn’t comply.
“My dad and mom weren’t those pushing me an excessive amount of,” Sabalenka instructed the media in Paris. “The one one request that they had is cease hitting the racquets, which I wasn’t actually following that order, I might say.
“However I positively say that Japanese European faculty may be very robust. I believe that is why whoever survive that faculty, they’re actually robust.”
The 2023 Roland Garros semifinalist stated her expertise of Belarusian tennis coaching is a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, Sabalenka stated surviving her junior coaching made her a more durable competitor, however however she noticed some fellow gamers damaged by “brutal” coaches making punishing calls for.
“I’ve to say that in all probability due to the surroundings and within the historical past of European international locations, we’re a lot more durable,” Sabalenka instructed the media in Paris. “Whoever acquired via the robust stuff, they, like, mentally and bodily, they a lot stronger than in all probability, not like the remainder of the world, however a lot of the women on tour…
“I positively suppose that the surroundings we now have in our international locations, which is like very robust and coaches are very brutal, you already know, there’s nothing good about the best way they, like, work with their gamers, they fairly impolite. I believe that is why perhaps our mentality is way stronger, but additionally, the identical time, they type of like broke so many gamers due to that aggressive mindset.
“I believe in Europe and the States, the surroundings is way more healthy.”
