"It's my biggest passion after tennis": Anna Blinkova’s unexpected talent rivals Djokovic

World No. 62 Anna Blinkova shared a previously unknown personal fact in a recent interview: she speaks 7 languages, making her a worthy adversary to the ultimate tennis polyglot, Novak Djokovic, who has long been noted for his linguistic skills. Far from the bright spotlights of the 24-time Grand Slam champion, the Russian spoke in an interview with Ben Rothenberg for Bounces, where she discussed her particular talent for languages.

The 27-year-old had a season where she managed to turn around the irregular results she had been dragging since 2024. After reaching the Top 40 for the first time in 2023—with a career-high ranking of No. 34—she was on the verge of falling out of the Top 100 just weeks before the season ended. Her title at the WTA 250 Jiangxi Open in October gave her breathing room, and she finished the year as No. 62, achieving her second professional title.

In her interview with Bounce, Blinkova revealed this interesting personal aspect: the Russian speaks 7 languages, a rarity on the Tour. While a good portion of the Tour's stars get by in two or three languages, not many have the time or ability to learn such a variety amidst the travel and busy life of a professional.

“My mother language is Russian,” Blinkova commented to Rothenberg. “I speak English, French, Slovakian fluently. I speak Spanish and Italian intermediate, which means that I can talk about simple topics, and I can have conversations. And I am currently learning Chinese; I speak the basics of Chinese.”

Blinkova acknowledges that for some years now, she has dedicated extra time to studying and learning more about different languages. “To be honest, this understanding came to me during Covid,” the two-time WTA champion added. “I just realized how stupid I was to not use this opportunity to see the world. Now, I really try to visit places, take pictures, talk to new people.”

“It's my biggest passion after tennis—I love it,” Blinkova told me. “I love getting to know new people, meeting new people. I love traveling, I love visiting different places and making pictures. I even have my second Instagram profile, which is called @blinkova_travel, where I take pictures of the places I visit. Languages are my big passion, and I think it gives you a lot of opportunities, it opens many doors, and I enjoy life much more.”

Seeing a player who can speak various languages undoubtedly brings to mind Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion recognized for speaking around 10 languages. The Serbian has often surprised people during his travels by speaking the local language, answering interviews fluently in different tongues: adding to his native Serbian and his high level of English, "Nole" speaks fluent Spanish, German, and Italian. He can also speak Portuguese and French, and has knowledge of Japanese, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese—in addition to navigating the dialects of the Balkan countries well.

“I have a competition on the tour right now,” Djokovic said recently to Rothenberg. “…so, credit to Blinkova. I mean, amazing—I didn’t know that.”

For Blinkova, it has been an opportunity to better understand the cultures of other countries and make the most of her travels around the world. “I met a couple of people that didn't speak English, and I had the chance to talk to them and get to know them, their life, connect with them in Spanish,” she said. “And I'm like a happy kid! I just love it so much.”

As Blinkova admits, the language in which she feels most comfortable—besides Russian—is French. “I think a lot in French, because my team is French and we speak French every day and all day long,” she said. “So it really is deep inside my mind.”