World No.1 tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has broken her silence after launching a racket towards a ball kid in an angry outburst during a match.
The incident occurred during Sabalenka’s 6-2 4-6 6-7 defeat to world No.6 Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open in China on Saturday.
After losing a vital point at 5-5 in the third set, Sabalenka threw her racket towards her bench in frustration, close to where a ball kid was standing.
Sabalenka’s racket narrowly missed both the ball kid and a cameraman, as it collided with the bench and bounced back towards the court.
The Belarusian likely would have been defaulted from the match had the racket struck either – but she avoided disqualification from the tournament.
Sabalenka has now spoken out for the first time since her defeat to Pegula, admitting it was ‘not the ending’ she wanted.
Sabalenka: Not the ending I wanted
‘That’s a wrap [at the Wuhan Open],’ Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, who won this year’s US Open, posted on Instagram.
‘Not the ending I wanted but thankful for the time spent here. Thank you to the fans for the support and making this stadium feel like home.’
Meanwhile, a Sky Sports commentator reacting to the incident said: ‘The racket goes flying – and who has she hit there with the racket?
‘That is dangerous territory for Sabalenka… Sabalenka gets a warning for the racket abuse, but she is lucky it is not more.’
Sabalenka slammed for ‘reckless behaviour’
Some tennis fans were left furious with Sabalenka’s behaviour after the incident went viral on social media.
‘This is really reckless behaviour,’ @Archaicmind3000 posted on X. ‘I can understand the frustration, I can even understand breaking a racquet.
‘But I can’t understand throwing in the direction of another human being and risking injuring that person.’
‘When are they going to stop doing that?’ @MoniqueSourdif2 asked. ‘They are millionaires adults. So losing one point, is it that terrible? She never was my favourite.’
‘If you’re 27, have been a professional tennis player for a decade, and still do this stuff, something is wrong,’ @realStevenWalk opined.
‘The most pathetic thing,’ @vmainard added. ‘Ayrna will get away with it. A fine is nothing when you make millions on and off the court. Suspend them from tournaments.’