A tennis reporter’s question to Aryna Sabalenka provokes criticism at an awkward moment during the French Open

Aryna Sabalenka was in good spirits as she navigated the questions at her press conference following her third-round victory at the French Open. However, one question caught the Belarusian somewhat off guard. She didn’t shy away from shining a light on her team, but took the situation and turned it into a light-hearted, comedic moment. “I think we should really ask them how they deal with me, because that’s difficult, that’s another question,” Sabalenka replied good-humoredly, after a reporter asked if it was difficult to manage her all-male team. What followed was a comical turn of events as Sabalenka looked at her team to ask if it was fun to be around her. One of her team members teased, “stressful.” The Belarusian jokingly cursed her team, but later restrained herself when she realized she was at a press conference. In fact, this camaraderie continually reaches rather amusing heights.

During her 2024 Australian Open campaign, Sabalenka revealed an unusual ritual she follows with coach Jason Stacy. She revealed that before each match, she would draw Stacy’s bald head and continue with the match.

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“After I won, I said to Jason, ‘Well, I guess it’s a routine now.’ He says, ‘Okay, anything for the win.’ I’m like, ‘Thank you,'” she said during her post-match interaction after beating Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open.

Sabalenka’s banter with her team is well known in the tennis world. From making TikTok videos together to putting together matching outfits and tattoos for the Belarusian woman, the team believes in keeping things light off the pitch so that the current World No. 1 can be at her brutal best on the pitch.

This bond is the result of Sabalenka’s collaboration with her coach, Anton Dubrov, and her trainer, Jason Stacy, over the past eight years. This isn’t the only time Sabalenka has been seen in a light-hearted mood at the French Open. As she sends her opponents onto the Parisian clay with authority, the Belarusian has a joyful dance competition with Novak Djokovic.

Although the question at the press conference created a light-hearted atmosphere in the room due to the bond between Sabalenka and her team, fans on social media were more critical of the questions asked of the Belarusian.

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Fans are calling out the journalist for the tough question

Fans were not happy with the journalist’s question about Sabalenka’s team. The general sentiment on social media was that the question had nothing to do with the sport and was below journalistic standards.

One person noted that the journalist’s questions always bordered on making the player uncomfortable, while citing previous media hype about a possible relationship between Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu. “I’d like to know why tennis reporters always ask such weird questions. I feel like a lot of them are trying to play matchmaker or something. Always so awkward, like that whole fiasco with Carlos and Emma,” said one fan.

Sabalenka is always the one to openly share her life off the field with her followers. But just because she chooses to do that doesn’t mean anyone should force the answers from her, at least that’s what one person believed: “All the interview questions I’ve seen so far have nothing to do with tennis,” said one fan.

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One fan echoed a similar sentiment, calling out journalistic standards: “They need real reporters at these tennis matches!!,” the fan commented.

Another fan pointed out the type of question and said, “What kind of questions are these people asking?”

However, it is important to see the growing storyline here. Reporters across sports are now as invested in players’ personal lives as they are in their professional lives. It is still up to the players whether they want to come along.

Yet another fan went a step further and claimed that such questions made journalists look like newbies, as if it was their first day on the job. “These RG journalists ask questions that make it seem like it’s their first day on the job,” the fan said.

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Journalists have previously been criticized for asking non-tennis related questions, with players often asking personal questions as well. But despite these criticisms, they have a job: to ask questions that are entertaining and grab readers’ attention.

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