Aryna Sabalenka Explains Why She Will Not Be Practicing at Santiago Bernabeu During Madrid Open
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is chasing her fourth title of the season at the Madrid Open.
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Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/HQ Pics)
- Aryna Sabalenka will not practice at Santiago Bernabeu during the Madrid Open, preferring to focus on the Caja Magica court.
- She aims for her fourth title of the season after winning the Sunshine Double earlier this year.
- Sabalenka has skipped the Stuttgart Open but plans to return next year to maintain her health and performance.
Aryna Sabalenka did not have a great start to the Madrid Open as she faced a difficult challenge in her opening round in the form of Peyton Stearns. The Belarusian clinched the win with a 7-5, 6-3 scoreline.
Sabalenka reached four finals in her previous five appearances in the tournament, winning in 2021 by beating Ash Barty, in 2023 by beating Iga Swiatek, and by beating Coco Gauff last year. In 2024, the six-time Grand Slam champion denied her the win in the final.
Sabalenka, following her opening-round win, was asked in the press conference whether she would be training at the Santiago Bernabeu during the tournament. Bernabeu, the home of La Liga soccer club Real Madrid, has been converted into a training venue for tennis players.
This will be a bit confusing. I think I would have liked to do it before the tournament, but now I feel it will be different than doing it here (at the Caja Magica). It’s a big stadium, it’s completely covered… There are adjustments to be made, so I prefer to focus on this court. I hope to do it at another time because it’s a unique experience.
The four-time Grand Slam champion is chasing her fourth title of the season in the Spanish capital. She kicked off her campaign for the 2026 season at the Brisbane International and defended her title by beating Marta Kostyuk.
But she was denied her third Australian Open title by Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka then skipped the Middle East swing, and upon her return, she completed the Sunshine Double. The World No.1 defeated Rybakina in the Indian Wells final and Gauff in the Miami Open final and became the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double.
Aryna Sabalenka on whether she plans to skip the Stuttgart Open next year as well
Before arriving in Madrid, Aryna Sabalenka skipped the Stuttgart Open. She is a four-time finalist in the German city, reaching the title clashes in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025.
Sabalenka lost to Ash Barty in 2021 and to Iga Swiatek in the following two seasons. Last year, Jelena Ostapenko denied her the win. At the press conference after her latest win, Sabalenka was asked whether she plans to skip the WTA 500 on clay next year as well.
It was a pity for me to skip Stuttgart. I will try to return next year, undoubtedly, but the ideal plan is perhaps to expand the calendar a bit to maintain my health, to be ready to showcase my best in every tournament I play. This year, my body hasn’t cooperated at certain times, and I needed rest to recover, so my schedule consisted of fewer tournaments to do what’s right for my physical condition. I hope to display my best level every time I compete.
Sabalenka will next be locking horns with Jaqueline Cristian in the third round. Prior to scheduling the match against the defending champion, the Romanian tennis ace knocked out Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Because of skipping a few tournaments, Sabalenka now has 9960 points in the live rankings. World No.1 Elena Rybakina has 8500 points. The Kazakh ace doesn’t have many points to defend in Madrid because she suffered a third-round defeat at the hands of Elina Svitolina last year.
Rybakina also gained 500 ranking points after her victory at the Stuttgart Open. The two-time Grand Slam champion will only meet Sabalenka in Madrid if they both reach the final. Sabalenka holds a 10-7 head-to-head lead over Rybakina. The 26-year-old will kick-start her campaign against Elena-Gabriela Ruse on April 24.
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