Aryna Sabalenka cruised past Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday, September 2, extending her U.S. Open winning streak to 15 matches as she chases a third consecutive title in New York.
Then came the post-match press conference.
A reporter asked the World No. 1 how her “mood” had changed now that the tournament was underway, noting that the week before had been filled with “lots of parties and fun and stuff like that.”
Sabalenka, 28, sighed, shook her head, and rolled her eyes. “You guys are like a joke,” she said. “Parties, fun. Like why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? Like what kind of question is that? Just because I posted like some activities with brands and you think that I’ve been partying, not training?”
Matt Futterman of The Athletic tried to clarify, saying he wasn’t suggesting Sabalenka had been partying. “You literally said that,” she replied. Futterman tried once more, asking whether she got more serious and combative once competition started. “Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that,” Sabalenka shot back. “Next question.”
As the next reporter began speaking, Sabalenka had one more thing to add: “Think before you say stuff.”
To be fair to Futterman, Sabalenka’s calendar before the U.S. Open did look pretty fun from the outside. She stopped by Gucci’s Fifth Avenue flagship for a live taping of Vogue’s The Run-Through, celebrated her Material Good jewelry collaboration at a SoHo soirée and attended an event marking her new partnership with Moroccanoil. She also popped up at Electrolit’s “Battle of the Sabys” in Brooklyn, where fans competed to imitate everything from her serve to her signature grunt.
So, yes, her week was packed. That doesn’t mean tennis wasn’t still the priority. The U.S. Open itself documented Sabalenka on the practice courts multiple times during Fan Week, including sessions on Aug. 26 and 27. She was back out there again on Aug. 29, practicing with Yulia Putintseva on the final day of Fan Week.
And while standing in that same Brooklyn pizza shop three days before beginning her title defense, she told Elite Daily exactly where her head was. “My mindset is that I’m ready to fight,” she said. “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to do well at the U.S. Open.”
This also wasn’t the first time Sabalenka had been asked about her busy week. After her opening-round victory over Camila Osorio, another reporter asked how she balanced the energy demands of her packed pre-tournament schedule while staying focused on tennis.
“Why do you think the week before I wasn’t focused on tennis?” Sabalenka responded. “It's like my hobby outside of tennis. The whole schedule we plan is all around tennis. So all of those events are not drawing me away in any way.”
Then, two days later, Sabalenka was asked how she felt about her current level. “I’m happy with my level,” she said. “I’ve been working really hard.”
For what it’s worth, there doesn’t appear to be any lingering bad blood between Sabalenka and Futterman. On Sept. 3, Futterman wrote on X that Sabalenka and her agent both apologized to him following the exchange.
She’ll face Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round Friday as she continues chasing a third consecutive U.S. Open title.
