"I just feel sorry for her that she moved from Evolve back to IMG": Aryna Sabalenka bizarrely calls Naomi Osaka moving from agency she helped start not smart

Naomi Osaka helped start the Evolve agency with her former agent Stuart Duguid back in 2022 which has seen the likes of Ons Jabeur, Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka join over the time.

Also players who often have garnered publicity or have big social media followings such as Iva Jovic, Eva Lys and Anna Kalinskaya are also now represented by the agency. it also saw a lot of crossover between Osaka and Kyrgios initially for instance.

But after facing off at Indian Wells, Sabalenka gave a pretty bizarre take which Osaka didn't know if it was a joke or not. Osaka left the agency in December last year after three years to return to IMG where she had most of her success under their management.

The prominent agent represented her from 2016 to 2021 and she also regained her ex manager and close friend Alex Boston in the process as part of her team. The dynamic was also semi awkward as Duguid was there watching the match supporting Sabalenka while Osaka long had him involved and started Evolve with him. But Sabalenka said it wasn't smart to leave. “Not at all. I just feel sorry for her that she moved from Evolve back to IMG. I don’t think that’s a smart decision to do," said Sabalenka.

“I’m happy, I’m super happy that now all time that they were kind of like, how you say, balancing between me and the Naomi, now I got most of the time. I’m happy with that (smiling).”

She also touched upon the pressure of facing the former World No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion, a factor that doesn't tend to actually cross her mind. “I don’t think about this kind of stuff going to the match. I just focus on myself, focus on the game plan that I have, and this is what I learn with experience that you better leave this stuff outside of the tennis court, and you go out there and you do your best. That’s what I’m focusing on.

She added: “I feel like I started doing better when she got pregnant. I think that’s why we didn’t have much opportunities to face each other, and I feel like, pretty sure that we’re gonna face each other many more times.”

Osaka responded and found it all a bit bizarre before opening up on her reasoning behind the move and going back to IMG despite leaving to start her own agency in the first place.

“Was she laughing when she said it (smiling)?” the Japanese star started off. "Look, we’re two different people, like, for sure. I think her experiences aren’t the same as mine, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, you know.

“For me, I have always loved IMG. I have been treated really well there, and the people there are really kind to me. I would recommend to IMG to people. I guess she wouldn’t.

“But, yeah, I think we just have two very different experiences at two different places.”