"He would shout when he won a point against me" - Aryna Sabalenka recalls training with Novak Djokovic during vacation in Greece

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka returned to the Grand Slam winners circle when she won the 2025 US Open. Subsequently, the Belarusian opted to take a break from the sport, during which she ran into ATP superstar Novak Djokovic.

After falling at the final hurdle at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Sabalenka finally claimed another major trophy when she defeated home favorite Amanda Anisimova to win the title at Flushing Meadows. The Minsk native would participate in the obligatory media rounds with the trophy, before taking a well-earned vacation.

Sabalenka was slated to return to action at last month's China Open in Beijing, but withdrew due to an injury sustained in New York. The World No.1 returned to the WTA tour at the ongoing Wuhan Open, where she defeated Rebecca Sramkova to advance to the round of 16.

Perhaps rusty from her lack of play in over a month, Sabalenka dropped the first set to Sramkova as the Slovak star dominated play from the baseline. However, she was unable to close out the match, as Sabalenka battled back to record a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory.

Following her victory over Sramkova, Sabalenka spoke about how she employed her time during her vacation. The two-time Australian Open champion traveled to Greece to spend some time with friends and family, where she bumped in Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic.

The two have a well-documented friendship, with both often appearing in social media skits with each other. Sabalenka revealed they trained together, and she had dinner with him and his family.

"Well, he was really competitive, and he would shout when he won a point against me," said Sabalenka. "I scored a lot of points against him, FYI. I hope he confirms that! We practiced a few times. I hope I was a good practice partner. So far, he's winning in Shanghai. So I think it was good practice.
"I really hope he goes all the way. If he wins the tournament, I could say it's thanks to me! We had a great time in Greece. I love him and Elena (Djokovic's wife). He's always willing to give me advice. They're so nice. We went to dinner. We had a really good time."

Djokovic is currently competing at the 2025 Shanghai Masters, where he defeated Spaniard Jaume Munar to advance to the quarterfinals. He will face Belgian Zizou Bergs for a spot in the final four.