(Video) Ons Jabeur intervenes after Aryna Sabalenka accidentally hits a photographer with a football

Aryna Sabalenka accidentally kicked a ball at a photographer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of the WTA Finals.

(Video) Ons Jabeur intervenes after Aryna Sabalenka accidentally hits a photographer with a football

Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur (via Reuters/Sports Illustrated)

Aryna Sabalenka is currently the World No. 1 in the WTA rankings, but it seems a career switch to football might not reflect the same potential with tennis. The Belarusian is at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There she decided to get into a footballing testing session with Ons Jabeur and ended up hitting a photographer with the ball.

Sabalenka has enjoyed one of the most successful seasons of her career this year. The 26-year-old claimed her first title of the year at the Australian Open in January. After a poor performance in several tournaments, she came back alive in August to claim the Cincinnati Open. She backed it up with a straight-set win over Jessica Pegula in the US Open final.

YouTube video

The Belarusian didn’t back down after that. In the Asian swing, she reached the China Open semifinals and went on to claim her third consecutive Wuhan title two weeks later. She also overtook Iga Swiatek to become the World No. 1 for the first time this year. Now at the WTA Finals, she took time away from training to be with her friend Ons Jabeur.

FS Video

Jabeur and Sabalenka were spotted in a viral video enjoying their time with young children on a football field in Riyadh. The kids were testing their football skills by taking a shot at the net. But when Sabalenka tried, she shanked her effort wide to the right, which hit a photographer on the head.

I am sorry, I’m so sorry.

Aryna Sabalenka can he heard saying holding her hands up in shock in the video

She was lucky that the ball didn’t make contact with the expensive camera. Ons Jabeur decided to poke fun at her friend and jokingly asked the photographer to claim insurance.

Tell her you don’t have insurance. No, it’s not fine.

Ons Jabeur to the lady photographer when she assured that it was okay

Meanwhile, Sabalenka is the favorite to clinch the WTA Finals because of her form. However, she has only made one final at the event, which came in 2022 when French Caroline Garcia shockingly defeated her.

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Tennis legend looking forward to seeing how Aryna Sabalenka handles the pressure of being No.1

Aryna Sabalenka overtaking Iga Swiatek to become the World No. 1 has been the biggest headline in recent weeks. Nevertheless, that is not the first time that Sabalenka has reached this position in her career. The Belarusian spent a few weeks as No. 1 last year after finishing as runners-up at the US Open.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X)

Nonetheless, Sabalenka is yet to cement her new position and will have to win the WTA Finals to do so. In a recent interview, tennis legend Garbine Muguruza revealed that this is the best time for Sabalenka to prove that she can handle the pressure of being at the top of the ranking.

It’s the ultimate tournament, the last of the year, where you play for everything. It will be very interesting this year with [No.1] Aryna Sabalenka. It’s going to be interesting how she handles all this pressure.

Garbine Muguruza said via TennisUptodate
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Swiatek will be heading into the WTA Finals as the defending champion. She and Sabalenka will be aiming for 1,500 points for grabs at the event. Anyone who wins it is sure to finish as World No. 1, as Sabalenka just has a 41-point lead above her rival.