"He was just like, 'Yeah, let's go for the date.'" - Aryna Sabalenka opens up on relationship with Novak Djokovic after delightful double-date

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic have become very close friends in recent times, with the pair recently going on a double-date with their partners. The world number one reminisced on when Djokovic asked her out ahead of the WTA Finals swiftly approaching to climax the season.

The pair regularly practice together on court, and keep in close contact with each other when off it, forming a very tight friendship. This has spilled over online as well, with the pair of them walking in on each other's interviews at times. The pair have spoken very positively about each other in the past, with the vastly accomplished Serbian offering advice sporadically to Sabalenka, leaning back on his wealth of knowledge and experience 24-Grand Slam titles gets you.

At the start of the month, Sabalenka posted an Instagram post with the caption: "Dream double date." It had her with partner Georgios Frangulis, and Djokovic with his wife Jelena. The Belarusian revealed that the idea was Djokovic's, who asked her after they bumped into each other in Athens while training.

“Actually we saw each other on the courts. We were practicing. I don't remember. We were just practicing together," Sabalenka said. "We were at the same place. He was just like, 'Yeah, let's go for the date.' That's how it happened.”

While they enjoy a lot of their off-time together, the 38-year-old is always happy to help the four-time Grand Slam champion when on the court. “How to stay settled and how to look at everything as you're looking from the outside on the situation on the court, off the court,” Sabalenka said, repeating the advice she had been told. “Just to, like, be able to sit back and look at everything. Kind of like it's not you looking, it's someone else looking at your situation. I think that's the best lesson that you could take from Novak.”

It has been a successful year for Sabalenka, with a few low points sprinkled within. She eventually won a Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows after coming desperately close in the other three events. She was pipped in the final of the Australian Open by Madison Keys, before being pegged back from a set advantage in the Roland Garros final against Coco Gauff. She was the favourite going into Wimbledon, especially as the high-quality field dwindled down, but was dealt a huge blow by Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals.

She is still the world number one despite the pressure Iga Swiatek looked to have put on in the final stages of the year, but Sabalenka defended the majority of her points to stay ahead of the charging Pole by roughly 1,700 points. She has the chance to extend that lead even more at the upcoming WTA Finals if she clinches glory.

This will be the fifth consecutive appearance for Sabalenka, with her yet to taste glory. She failed to make it out of her group in 2020 on debut before going all the way to the final, where she was defeated by Carloine Garcia in a close battle. The previous two episodes have her being knocked out by the eventual winner in the semi-finals, Swiatek in 2023 and reigning champion Gauff in 2024.

She faces Jasmine Paolini in her first group-stage match on 2nd November, with the group also occupied by American duo Gauff and Jessica Pegula, all likely to be very tricky tests for the world number one. Swiatek, Keys, Anisimova and Elena Rybakina make up the second half of the draw, in a field of quality and class. This means that Sabalenka wants to get over the line, she will need to beat the best.