Aryna Sabalenka Responds to Novak Djokovic’s Dance Challenge at Roland Garros: “I Am Doing Much Better”

Novak Djokovic should have known that Aryna Sabalenka is not someone who would accept defeat easily. After a hard-fought four-set battle against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the French Open, the Serb danced to celebrate his win, not once, not twice, but three times.

And while grooving on the stairwell, Djokovic cheekily challenged Sabalenka, reviving their dance battle. Sabalenka, after breezing past her first-round opponent, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, broke into a lively dance, telling her rival, “Okay, Novak, how about that? I think I am doing much better.”

Aryna Sabalenka having a dance off with Novak Djokovic after her win at Roland Garros.

“Ok Novak, how about that?”

😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/lDdM0N6rl3

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 26, 2026

Sabalenka and Djokovic share a great bond and often pull each other’s legs. They also enjoyed a double date with their respective partners in Athens last year.

Djokovic is set to lock horns with Valentin Royer in the second round. The Serb, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Australian Open after defeating Jannik Sinner in the semifinal, last won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and last won at the French Open the same year.

He lost to eventual runner-up Sinner in last year’s French Open semifinal. But before arriving in Paris, he lost the only clay-court match he played in the opening round of the Italian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka on her mindset while competing

Emotions overwhelm Aryna Sabalenka while competing. She lost to Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina in last year’s and this year’s Australian Open, respectively. Then, after her heartbreaking defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, Sabalenka broke down in tears and ended up making controversial remarks about the final.

She did not let emotions get the better of her in last year’s US Open, defeating home favorite Amanda Anisimova to win her fourth Grand Slam singles title.

I think emotions were disrupting my game. My level would drop drastically when I started overreacting to everything, and at the same time, my opponents would notice and step up to play better. Both things were happening. Firstly, I wanted to make sure my opponent didn’t realize what was going on in my head, and at the same time, I wanted to play better and stay more focused.

Aryna Sabalenka said in the pre-tournament press conference in Paris

Before arriving in Paris, the 28-year-old could not make the finals of the clay-court tournaments she played. Hailey Baptiste defeated her in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, stopping her title defense. Later in Rome, Sabalenka suffered a shock third-round exit.

I think all of us here are seeking one thing. It doesn’t matter if I played more or less in the clay court swing. I know how to play on clay; the important thing is to be physically and mentally ready, be prepared, and ready to fight. All I can say is that I’m ready to fight, and I hope to do a bit better than last year.

Aryna Sabalenka added

But Sabalenka has already played four finals this year. After beating Marta Kostyuk in the Brisbane International final, the World No. 1 lost to Rybakina in Melbourne and later skipped the two WTA 1000 tournaments on the Middle East Swing.

But she completed the Sunshine Double by taking her revenge on the Kazakh ace in Indian Wells and later defeating Gauff in Miami. Last year on clay, Sabalenka reached three finals.

Prior to her defeat to Gauff in Paris and her win over the American ace in Madrid, Sabalenka was denied the Stuttgart Open title by Jelena Ostapenko (it was the fourth time she lost in the final of the tournament. Sabalenka withdrew from this year’s Stuttgart event.

Also read: Stan Wawrinka Shares a Heartfelt Quote After Bidding Emotional Farewell to Roland Garros: “It’s Never Easy to Say Goodbye”