Aryna Sabalenka sparks controversy as she shares conditions of tennis balls after 25 minutes of practice

Aryna Sabalenka is set to participate in the Qatar Open, the first of the two WTA 1000 events of the Middle East Swing.

Aryna Sabalenka sparks controversy as she shares conditions of tennis balls after 25 minutes of practice

Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X)

Aryna Sabalenka has already started her preparation for the season’s first WTA 1000 event- the Qatar Open. Upon her arrival in Doha, she wasted no time and started her training. The Belarusian, however, sparked social media discussion after sharing the state of two tennis balls following 25 minutes of practice.

These were Dunlop balls. One of the them was a new ball, while the other a worn-out ball. The reason behind the latter’s condition was that Sabalenka was practicing with it.

YouTube video

25min vs new Crazy difference.

Aryna Sabalenka wrote on X

Check out the post here:

FS Video

On social media, fans criticized the Dunlop balls, saying the Dunlop Fort are the worst tennis balls. Some fans also lauded Sabalenka for speaking out about the balls as several WTA and ATP players, including Daniil Medvedev, are not a fan of the quality of balls used during matches.

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Sabalenka will be eyeing her second title of the season after lifting the Brisbane International in January with a three-set win over Polina Kudermetova. After the WTA 500 event in Brisbane, the 26-year-old next was aiming for her third consecutive Australian Open title but suffered a three-set defeat to America’s Madison Keys in the final.

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Aryna Sabalenka admits she wanted to quit tennis

Tennis is considered a lonely sport and Aryna Sabalenka once thought of quitting. When her father Sergey Sabalenka passed away in 2019, Sabalenka dealt with mental health problems and it affected her performance immensely. She was struggling to serve properly, and at Grand Slam events too, she was not giving her best.

Aryna Sabalenka and her dad
Aryna Sabalenka and her dad (via X)

Thanks to her psychologist and her biomechanical coach, Sabalenka overcame the difficulties. She credited her family behind her strong performances and the reason why she continued to fight.

There were some times when I wanted to give up, but I was just thinking, I cannot quit. I want them to be proud of me, and to bring some positivity into their lives because they get happy when I win. And I want it to be a great example for my sister; she’s 11 years younger. I want her to see a good example [in me] just like I saw in my father.

Aryna Sabalenka said during an interview with Flaunt Magazine
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The three-time Grand Slam singles champion had skipped last year’s Qatar Open but participated at the Dubai Tennis Championships. But she suffered a shock first-round exit after losing to Donna Vekic in three sets.