Aryna Sabalenka Roasts Novak Djokovic’s Dance and Advises Him to ‘Be More Free’

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic are chasing their first Grand Slam title of the season.

Aryna Sabalenka Roasts Novak Djokovic’s Dance and Advises Him to ‘Be More Free’

Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic (Image via The Sporting News, BBC)

In Short
  • Aryna Sabalenka challenged Novak Djokovic to improve his dance moves after he celebrated his match win with a dance.
  • Sabalenka won her first-round match against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and will face Elsa Jacquemot next.
  • Iga Swiatek is looking to regain her form at the French Open after struggling in recent tournaments.

Aryna Sabalenka “had to throw everything” at Novak Djokovic after he re-ignited the dance battle in the ongoing Roland Garros. Djokovic, after overcoming big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in four sets, celebrated his win with a little wriggle right after winning the last point of the match.

He wriggled during his on-court interview and continued it on the stairs beyond the tunnel, telling his rival to “beat that“. Sabalenka, as expected, accepted the challenge and danced in the stairwell, telling Djokovic that her moves were “much better“. And later during her interview with TNT Sports, the Belarusian ace mocked Nole’s dance.

He challenged me. I couldn’t ignore that… I think he felt he didn’t show everything he could do, so he brought it back… I was happy to accept that. Let’s see if he can come up with a cool dance next round… He could do a little bit better; it’s not that good. He needs to be more free and go for it.

Sabalenka, in her first-round match, dismantled Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to schedule her next match against Elsa Jacquemot. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion finished as the runner-up in last year’s Paris Major, losing in three sets to Coco Gauff.

Both Djokovic and Sabalenka have lost their respective Australian Open finals. Sabalenka, in her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne, suffered a three-set defeat at the hands of World No.2 Elena Rybakina in what was also her second back-to-back defeat in the title clash in the event. Last year, Madison Keys denied her the hat-trick.

Djokovic, who made a Major final for the first time since the 2024 Wimbledon, couldn’t go past Carlos Alcaraz. But in the semifinal, he overcame two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in five sets. Djokovic lost the only clay-court match he played before starting his campaign in the French capital.

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Aryna Sabalenka on Iga Swiatek’s form

Only her performance at the French Open will tell whether Iga Swiatek has regained her form. Swiatek, the winner of 10 clay-court titles, including four French Open titles, hasn’t progressed to a final on this surface since completing a three-peat at the 2024 Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via People.com)

Swiatek, in fact, has made just one semifinal this season. It was at the Italian Open where the eventual champion, Elina Svitolina, eliminated her. She last won a title at the 2025 Korea Open. The six-time Grand Slam champion also suffered a shock opening-round exit at the Miami Open. Aryna Sabalenka, at the press conference after her first-round win, was asked about Swiatek’s current situation.

She’s an incredible player, and I love seeing that she’s always open to new things, incorporating a new coach, looking for things that used to work very well for her, and that maybe she felt she had lost. Now I see that she’s improving and getting back on track, so of course, I always consider her one of the favorites.

Swiatek breezed past Emerson Jones in the first round and also clinched a straight-set win over Sara Bejlek. She has now reached the third round in every Grand Slam tournament she has played this decade. Swiatek is now 27-0 against unseeded opponents in the clay-court Major.

The 24-year-old will meet Sabalenka only if they both advance to the final. It was the four-time Grand Slam singles champion who knocked out Swiatek in last year’s French Open, defeating her in three sets and also handing her a bagel in the third set.

While Swiatek is aiming to reach her first final of the season, Sabalenka has already featured in four title clashes, losing only the Australian Open. She won in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and Miami.

Also read: Daniil Medvedev Admits Modern Tennis Hurts His Game After Latest Roland Garros Collapse