Reilly Opelka Can’t Understand Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev, and Other Players’ ‘Weird’ Love for Maldives During Off-Season

Aryna Sabalenka ended the season with four times as well as the year-end No.1 title.

Reilly Opelka Can’t Understand Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev, and Other Players’ ‘Weird’ Love for Maldives During Off-Season

Aryna Sabalenka, Reilly Opelka, Daniil Medvedev with his family (Image via ATP Tour, Instagram/Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev)

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Aryna Sabalenka did not waste much time flying off to the Maldives right after her WTA Finals disappointment. She reached her second final only to suffer defeat at the hands of Elena Rybakina. The Belarusian is still in the Maldives with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, and has been regularly updating her fans about her time on the island.

Daniil Medvedev also vacationed in the Maldives with his wife Daria and two kids, Alisa and Victoria. Because tennis players rushed to the Maldives during the off-season, Reilly Opelka questioned their decision. Opelka cannot understand why they are so obsessed with vacationing during the off-season, because thanks to their tennis calendar, they are always on the move for almost the entire year.

It’s weird. I actually don’t have any explanation for it. My logic is, we travel, every player, myself included, complains that the season’s way too long, which it is. We travel 40 weeks consecutively, like in a year. We get to come home. I spent less than eight weeks at my house all year. I think it’s just a bit odd that you want to end your season, and then you want to take your suitcases, and then you want to fly 14 hours or however far it is.

Reilly Opelka said during the Nothing Major podcast

Sam Querrey was also a part of the podcast and revealed that many tennis players go to the Maldives for free, thanks to hotel partnerships. He added that all the tennis players need to do is attend a one-hour tennis clinic a day at their resort.

Medvedev did not have a great season, as all he could clinch was the Almaty Open by defeating Corentin Moutet. The 2021 US Open champion also played the final of the Halle Open, where Alexander Bublik denied him the win.

Aryna Sabalenka shares the greatest career highlight of her career

Aryna Sabalenka sat for an interview with Vogue Arabia and talked about her best moments from her career. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion ended the season as No.1 and defended the US Open by defeating Amanda Anisimova.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Roland Garros)

She also played the finals of the Australian Open and the French Open but couldn’t beat Madison Keys and Coco Gauff, respectively. In total, the 27-year-old made nine finals this year, winning four and losing five.

I would have to say winning my four Grand Slams. To win both the Australian Open and the US Open twice is definitely a highlight. I am also so proud to have stayed world number one for a full year. It is an accomplishment I’ve always dreamt of, and to see it come true is humbling for me.

Aryna Sabalenka told Vogue Arabia

Sabalenka would have lost the No.1 ranking had Iga Swiatek won the Wuhan Open and the WTA Finals. In the year-end championship, Sabalenka had the chance to take home $5,235,000 as she did not lose a single match in the round robin stage. Sabalenka now holds an 8-6 head-to-head record over the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

The last title she won this year was the US Open. She featured in a combined seven WTA 1000 and Grand Slam finals, lifting the titles at the Miami Open, Madrid Open, and the New York Slam, and losing at Indian Wells, French Open, and the WTA Finals.

Sabalenka will feature in one more tournament. A Battle of the Sexes exhibition event will be held on December 28 in the UAE. Sabalenka will lock horns with Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, who played just four tournaments this season due to injury problems. Kyrgios won just one singles match and was last seen in action at the Citi Open.

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