Aryna Sabalenka Opens Up About the Online Abuse Players Receive on Tour

Aryna Sabalenka is projected to face Anna Kalinskaya in the second round of the Wuhan Open after earning a first-round bye.

Aryna Sabalenka Opens Up About the Online Abuse Players Receive on Tour

Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography)

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Aryna Sabalenka has addressed the online abuse that women players often receive on social media on tour after she arrived at the Wuhan Open. The World No.1 is known for her constant activity on social media, particularly on TikTok, and has sometimes received negative messages from some fans after a loss.

In this age of social media, tennis players have often faced online abuse or hate messages from fans, bettors. Bettors and some fans often show their anger against a player after betting on the player to win a match and the player fails to do so in the end. Recently, German star Eva Lys fell victim to online abuse after losing to Coco Gauff at the China Open.

Lys was not the favorite to win the match, but bettors were hoping to capitalize on that for their personal gain, so they bet on her to win. But the 23-year-old lost the match in straight sets and later revealed the hate messages she got from them. Lys isn’t the only player who has had to deal with messages on tour.

Jessica Pegula opened up about an online abuse she received after losing to Lois Boisson in the fourth round of the French Open. The American star revealed that she hopes WTA organizers deal with the issue. Iga Swiatek was also a recent victim of the abuse after crashing out of the fourth round of the China Open.

Sabalenka, who has 3.8 million followers on Instagram and 1.3 million on TikTok, where she shares pictures and videos of both her time on and off the court. During her press conference at the Wuhan Open, Sabalenka revealed that though she receives hate messages and abuse, she doesn’t always take it seriously:

I think we all go through a lot of hate. Throughout my career, I faced a lot of hate and a lot of different hate for different reasons. So I figured that the more you give attention to that, the more it takes energy from you. I feel like it’s better to ignore it, but sometimes, of course, I see those messages, and out of curiosity, I go to the page of the person who messaged me. Sometimes I’m shocked.

Sabalenka has been absent from the tour since claiming her fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open in New York. The World No.1 withdrew from the China Open due to a minor injury she sustained during the US Open. She’s now back on tour at the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan in China.

Aryna Sabalenka rates her 2025 season so far after arriving at the Wuhan Open

Aryna Sabalenka began the year with a brutal loss at the Australian Open against Madison Keys in the final. She then lost to Coco Gauff in the final of the French Open and also crashed out of the Wimbledon Championship semi-finals. But she finally got her redemption at the US Open, beating Amanda Anisimova in the final.

Aryna Sabalenka (via X/Ground Press)
Aryna Sabalenka (via X/Ground Press)

Sabalenka has dominated the women’s tour this season, having reached three Grand Slam finals. During the aforementioned interview, she was asked how she rates the 2025 season. The four-time Grand Slam champion revealed that the season has been pretty successful and that she hopes to continue improving on the court:

I would rate my season as a pretty successful season. The goal is to stay the same, to improve myself every day, to keep the position of world number one, to see how far I can get in this sport and how much I can win.

Sabalenka was handed a first-round bye at the Wuhan Open, so she will open her campaign in the second round. She’s projected to face Anna Kalinskaya in the second round, while a potential third-round clash awaits her against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

Also Read: Coco Gauff insists her serving issues are improving despite disappointing defeat at the China Open