Sabalenka admits that a serious expression leads fans to misjudge her personality.

Aryna Sabalenka shocked the tennis world by candidly admitting that her “Slavic face” leads many to mistakenly judge her as unfriendly or even, in her own words, a “bitch.” This stunning revelation comes just days before the start of Wimbledon, where the Belarusian, ranked number one in the world, is pursuing her first grass title and a spot in the coveted final, something that has eluded her throughout her career.

Sabalenka, who will begin her campaign against Teodora Kostovic, spoke openly in an interview with The Guardian about how she is perceived both on and off the court. The tennis player acknowledges that during matches, her intense behavior – with shouts to the coaching team, broken rackets, and explosive attitudes – contrasts sharply with her personality outside of competition. “When you see me for the first time, you’ll probably think I’m a goat because of my Slavic face. That doesn’t help at all. When I walk around with this serious face and no emotions, I can seem very aggressive. So, I understand why some people think that about me. When they get to know me better, they realize it’s just something I was born with,” explained the champion.

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This brutal honesty from Sabalenka is not new for those who closely follow the women’s circuit, but the tennis player had never before spoken so directly about the impact of her facial features on public perception. The episode gains even more significance when she shares the hilarious moment with her best friend, Paula Badosa, a former world number two: “When we met, I told her: ‘I thought you were a goat!’ And she replied: ‘I thought you were a goat too.’ And I said: ‘Well, that’s not true after all, so we can be friends.’ She said: ‘Yes, we are quite similar.’ I think it’s just the attitude we bring to the court,” Sabalenka revealed, emphasizing that the image of both is often misinterpreted.

The issue takes on special importance at a time when Sabalenka has faced criticism following episodes of frustration in recent tournaments. After losing in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros to Diana Shnaider, the Belarusian did not hide her irritation, blaming the court conditions and the organization for not closing the roof. “I had no thoughts, no emotions, I just wanted to give up tennis and break everything,” she confessed about the moments immediately after her defeat, later clarifying that she does not consider quitting the sport.

However, Sabalenka also makes a point of showing her more relaxed and human side, recounting the TikTok episode with Coco Gauff after the controversial French Open final last year. After suggesting that her loss to the American was due to her own performance rather than Gauff’s merit, Sabalenka apologized to her colleague and proposed a choreography to show that there were no hard feelings. “We scheduled the practice and I said: ‘Girl, don’t you think it would be fun to do a dance to show the community that everything is fine?’ […] I already knew the dance and Coco, being so talented, picked it up right away on the second try,” she revealed, dispelling any potential conflicts.

With Wimbledon approaching, Sabalenka is preparing to try to reach the semi-finals for the first time, after having come within a step of the final in three editions, including last year’s, where she was halted by Amanda Anisimova. This will be a decisive opportunity to cement her status as world number one and silence the critics who continue to question her temperament and resilience in key moments.

The impact of these statements promises to shake up the women’s circuit and intensify scrutiny on Sabalenka in the coming days. The pressure is enormous, especially knowing that Coco Gauff, her direct rival, has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon, despite having already won two Grand Slam titles. Both enter the competition with different stories to tell: Sabalenka has three titles in four finals this year, while Gauff has lost the two finals she contested.

All eyes will be on Sabalenka’s performance on the London grass. It remains to be seen whether she can turn the controversy into motivation and finally break the Wimbledon curse, proving that her stern expression has nothing to do with the heart she brings onto the court. One thing is certain: both on and off the courts, Sabalenka remains one of the most fascinating and unpredictable figures in world tennis.

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