Aryna Sabalenka shocked by return to World No. 1 after boyfriend’s surprise comment

Aryna Sabalenka spoke about the surprising moment when she learned she had regained the world No. 1 ranking after a comment from her boyfriend. The Belarusian reclaimed the top spot after 50 weeks due to a controversial penalty imposed on Iga Swiatek.

The WTA rules mandate that players must participate in at least six WTA 500 events in a calendar year; otherwise, points from their lowest-performing tournaments are deducted.

WTA Ranking shake-up due to penalties

Swiatek participated in only two WTA 500 events, leading to a 120-point deduction from her Miami Open results this March. Sabalenka also received a small penalty (she competed in just four WTA 500 tournaments), losing 10 points from the Dubai Tennis Championships. This was enough for the Belarusian to unexpectedly return to the top of the rankings.

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Although Sabalenka was aware of the possibility of reaching the No. 1 ranking, she expected it to happen at the WTA Finals, where she defends 625 points compared to Swiatek’s 1,500. The 26-year-old was asked how she received the news of her return to No. 1 and admitted she hadn’t anticipated it.

"Yeah, I actually didn't know that's what's going to happen. I was like, How? What happened? Where she lost those hundred points or whatever? It's tricky. I didn't expect that," Aryna Sabalenka said. "I just woke up one morning, and my boyfriend actually told me, 'Oh, congrats, you became world No. 1.' And I'm like, What?"

Aryna Sabalenka won her third Grand Slam title at US Open 2024, she defeated Jessica Pegula (7-5, 7-5).

"I didn’t know anything at that moment. Whatever, I'll take it. As I always say, I want to finish the year as world No. 1; then I’ll be like, okay, I'll feel more confident saying I’m world No. 1, not because someone lost a hundred points and that’s how I became World No. 1," the three-time Grand Slam champion said. "I know that throughout the year I was pushing, winning a lot. It’s not like I didn’t do anything; I was pretty good, pretty decent this year. But still, for me, for my crazy mind, it would be better to finish the year as world No. 1," she added.

Sabalenka, the top seed in the draw, is set to play the tournament’s opening match. The Belarusian will face Zheng Qinwen for the fifth time, having won all four previous encounters, including finals at the Australian Open and Wuhan Open a few weeks ago.

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Still, Sabalenka remains cautious and spoke of her excitement to begin the challenge against the young Chinese player. "Yeah, I mean, it’s the top eight players here, so every match is going to be a high-level match. I’m expecting, like, a really great level of tennis. It’s going to be a great battle, as we’ve always had before. I’m really excited to face her here," Sabalenka said.