Boris Becker Wonders If Aryna Sabalenka’s Focus Shifted To Private Life After Engagement to Georgios Amid Slump: “She Is Seen More on Social Media”

Aryna Sabalenka‘s campaigns since her Miami triumph have ended in disappointment. Sabalenka completed the Sunshine Double with her win over Coco Gauff in Miami in March.

Also in March, Sabalenka got engaged to Georgios Frangulis. Because she has been in a slump since then, many fans say Sabalenka’s focus has shifted from tennis to her private life. Boris Becker is also of the same opinion.

The question is: why? I like her, I enjoy watching her, but at the moment, she is seen more often on her social media platforms than on the tennis court. That’s all fine. Maybe the focus has been lost a little. She has been playing successfully for a long time, has earned a lot of money, won a lot of titles, and so on. She’s recently engaged. Is her private life her focus right now? And tennis number two? Because that would explain it.

Boris Becker said on the Becker Petkovic podcast

Before completing the Sunshine Double, Sabalenka also played two finals, winning the Brisbane International by defeating Marta Kostyuk, and losing the Australian Open to Elena Rybakina. Since her win in Miami, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion has only played one semifinal, and it was at the Berlin Open, losing to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula.

Sabalenka is pretty dominant on hard courts, so she was expected to rediscover her form on the North American hard-court swing. But in both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open, she couldn’t progress beyond the fourth round. Next is the US Open, which starts on August 30. Sabalenka has already played mixed doubles with Novak Djokovic (lost in the opening round). In singles, she is the reigning champion (beat Amanda Anisimova).

Mary Joe Fernandez on Aryna Sabalenka’s US Open chances

Aryna Sabalenka reached her career’s first US Open final in 2023. And although she failed to defeat Coco Gauff, she went on to claim the title in 2024 and 2025 by defeating Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, respectively. So if she wins this time, she will be completing the hat-trick of the US Open. Former player Mary Joe Fernandez believes Sabalenka is pretty vulnerable at present because of her performances in the past few months.

For the women, Sabalenka is going for a three-peat. She hasn’t reached a final since winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back. She struggled a bit winning the big points. She’s lost a couple big leads in some events. So, she’s vulnerable. 

Mary Joe Fernandez said on ESPN

Fernandez believes Gauff has been playing well on the North American hardcourt swing, reaching the semifinals of the Canadian Open (lost to eventual runner-up Elena Rybakina) and winning the Cincinnati Open by defeating countrywoman Pegula. It was her first title since the 2025 Wuhan Open.

I thought Coco Gauff played exceptional tennis in Cincinnati. She played well in Canada, as well. To me, she’s the one that’s playing the best tennis. You have Pegula, Rybakina, if she’s healthy, who reached the finals in Canada. Eala was outstanding in Washington. She beat a lot of top players there. A lot of players you mentioned have a chance. 

Mary Joe Fernandez added

Sabalenka is on the cusp of losing her No.1 ranking to Rybakina, Pegula, or Gauff. To maintain her position, she has to defend her title. Gauff or Pegula can reach the top if they win the title and the Kazakh ace loses before the semifinals. None of these three players have reached the top of the rankings table yet in their careers.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Provides Injury Update Ahead of US Open: “I Don’t Want to Rush”