(In Images) Maria Sharapova Shoots At The Wall Street Journal for a Weird Headline on Aryna Sabalenka Article

Aryna Sabalenka is into the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championship.


(In Images) Maria Sharapova Shoots At The Wall Street Journal for a Weird Headline on Aryna Sabalenka Article

Maria Sharapova (via X/Wimbledon/Sharapovafan)

Aryna Sabalenka has become an irresistible force in the women’s singles and a player to beat on tour. With her explosive game, she sits at the top of the WTA rankings with over 12,000 points. But recently, The Wall Street Journal wrote a favorable headline, pointing out that the reason for her dominance is that she trains with men players.

The American giant media published the story last week, claiming that ahead of the Wimbledon Championship, Sabalenka had a practice session with men’s circuit stars Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. That gave her a new experience, which she used to earn her place in the quarter-finals. An excerpt of the article reads:

She simply hits the ball harder and more accurately than anyone else in the game. In fact, the 27-year-old Sabalenka now crushes the ball so forcefully that she needs new practice partners…That’s because they’re men. Since arriving at Wimbledon, Sabalenka has organised practice sessions with 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic and men’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

However, the Wall Street Journal posted an image of Sabalenka on their Instagram story with the headline: “The world No.1 who hits so hard she practices against men.” That headline didn’t go well with tennis legend Maria Sharapova as she slammed the Wall Street Journal for the controversial headline:

What is this headline and what is this article? You can do better.

Nonetheless, what the WSJ article revealed is a known phenomenon about Sabalenka. In fact, she has revealed on several occasions that she prefers watching men’s tennis to women’s matches. She also has a reputation for her powerful serves and groundstrokes that always outmaneuver her opponents.

The Belarusian star is in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championship after beating Elise Mertens in straight sets. The World No.1 has lost only one match on the grass-court this season and that came in Berlin against eventual champion Markéta Vondroušová.

However, she has not won Wimbledon or reached the final. Sabalenka has reached the final of two Grand Slams this season, the Australian Open and French Open. Currently, she’s the favorite to win Wimbledon after several top players crashed out early in the tournament.

Laura Siegemund ready to give everything against Aryna Sabalenka ahead of their quarter-finals clash in Wimbledon

Aryna Sabalenka will face Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championship. Siegemund, who came to the tournament ranked World No.104 and hasn’t dropped a set. The German star overcame Madison Keys in the third round before lucky loser Solana Sierra in the fourth round of the Grand Slam tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka and Laura Siegemund (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Aryna Sabalenka and Laura Siegemund (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Siegemund is known for her drop shots and slice, which have helped her win four consecutive matches at Wimbledon. Ahead of her match against Sabalenka, the 37-year-old says that she has nothing to lose in the match, which gives her an advantage to play her best tennis when she meets the World No.1:

The only good thing about that match is that I have absolutely nothing to lose. But it’s definitely one of the toughest opponents to have on grass. I always felt on grass that by the time I start to feel the game and I start to play better, it’s already over. That was how it pretty much went every year. This time I had more matches, and I had more opportunity to get this confidence, and it’s showing.

Siegemund has achieved most of her success in the doubles category, but the 37-year-old became the oldest woman to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon singles. She played warm-up events in Nottingham and Bad Homburg, but she didn’t win any matches. It is now at Wimbledon, that she’s reaping the reward of her tireless hard work.

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