World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus lashed out at overbearing and bossy coaches on Friday, saying there was no place for them in the sport.
Sabalenka, who has won three Grand Slams along with 20 tour titles, said some coaches in the past had put her down, telling her she would not amount to much in tennis.
“It’s not about pushing me too hard,” Sabalenka said in a news conference after her 6-2, 6-3 third-round win over Olga Danilovic of Serbia. “I’ve always been quite motivated, and they didn’t have to push me. But I have heard a lot. Saying I’m not smart enough, that I’m stupid and I’ll never make it and I don’t have anything to make it to the top.”
Asked how she reacted to those comments, Sabalenka said: “I was just laughing and saying ‘we’ll see.'”
Sabalenka has been one of the most dominant players on the women’s tour in recent years, winning back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024 and the 2024 US Open crown. She has earned close to $35 million in prize money in her career.
“I guess I want to send a quick message to them to quit their job, because honestly, I think they know nothing and they better quit just to save other players,” she said.
Sabalenka is one of the betting favorites at Roland Garros — with +260 odds as of Friday at ESPN BET — but she is more than happy to leave the favorite tag to four-time champion Iga Swiatek (+240).
“It’s tough to predict in women’s tennis, you know. Let’s just leave it [the favourite tag] on Iga since she won it, what, three times in a row, really, right?” Sabalenka said. “… I will just leave it for her.”
Swiatek had a troubled pre-tournament swing, but the Polish player has been in fine form since Roland Garros started.
Sabalenka has also been steamrolling her opponents, conceding only 10 games through the first three rounds. She set up a meeting with No. 16 Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the fourth round.
Reuters contributed to this report.
