Aryna Sabalenka Issues Warning to US Open Mixed Doubles Rivals After Teaming Up with Novak Djokovic: “We Are Going Full”

The US Open revamped its mixed doubles format last year, and it saw the top singles players team up. Carlos Alcaraz asked Emma Raducanu to be his partner. Elena Rybakina teamed up with Taylor Fritz, Mirra Andreeva with Daniil Medvedev, and Casper Ruud joined hands with Iga Swiatek. The Polish-Norwegian duo reached the final only to lose to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.

Novak Djokovic teamed up with compatriot Olga Danilovic. Aryna Sabalenka initially paired up with Grigor Dimitrov, who was forced to withdraw because of a pectoral muscle injury he suffered during the fourth-round match against eventual champion Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.

But this year, Sabalenka is super excited to feature because she will be playing alongside none other than the 24-time Grand Slam champion, with whom she also shares a close bond. Sabalenka is in Toronto to kick off her campaign on the North American hardcourt swing at the Canadian Open.

At the pre-tournament press conference, the Belarusian ace warned the rivals to be wary of them because their goal is not only to play and enjoy, but to chase the title.

We are going full. I hope everyone’s going to be healthy this time! I’m pretty excited. I think it’s going to be fun. Playing with Novak is always fun. Mixed doubles, I played it once in my life, I mean on the Grand Slams, and we are going full, you know, we’re chasing only title, that’s our goal, I believe, so it’s going to be fun and intense, I believe.

Djokovic is not playing in Canada, where, in fact, he last participated in 2018. Sabalenka, in her campaign opener, will face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. The World No.1 is chasing her fourth title of the season after her wins in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and Miami.

She also reached the final of the Australian Open only to lose in three sets to Rybakina. Sabalenka, since her win in Miami, failed to reach a final on both the clay and grass swing.

Daniil Medvedev is surprised by Novak Djokovic’s decision to play at the Cincinnati Masters

Novak Djokovic has confirmed his participation in Cincinnati, where he last played in 2023 and beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Daniil Medvedev, who is in Montreal for the Canadian Open, admitted during the pre-tournament press conference that Djokovic’s decision to feature in Cincinnati surprised him, as the Russian expected to see the Serbian great skip every warm-up event before the US Open.

If we talk about Novak, he’s 39, age is taking its toll, you need to choose tournaments where you can play well. I saw that he’s playing Cincinnati, that’s already good. I thought maybe he would go straight to the US Open. So everyone has their own story, but there are still many great players in the draw, and I hope the best one wins.

Medvedev is a former champion in Canada, winning in 2021 by defeating Reilly Opelka. It was in this tournament back in 2019 that Medvedev reached his career’s first Masters 1000 final but lost the title to Rafael Nadal.

Medvedev last won a Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Italian Open. In Montreal, the 2021 US Open champion is chasing his third title of the season following wins in Brisbane (Brandon Nakashima) and Dubai (received the walkover from Tallon Griekspoor). He also reached the final of the Indian Wells Masters but failed to defeat Jannik Sinner.

Both Medvedev and Djokovic were last seen in action at Wimbledon. Medvedev lost to Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round, while the 39-year-old lost to eventual champion Sinner in the semifinals.

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