Sabalenka Strikes Back After Dubai Diss
“I’m not sure if I ever want to go [back] there, after his comment,” Sabalenka said of WTA 1000 Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.— World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka arrived at her pre-tournament interviews on Tuesday at the Miami Open in a typically bubbly mood.
Sabalenka is a reliably buoyant presence, but she’s enjoying an especially high tide right now after several big moments in recent weeks. She recently acquired, in order: a new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Ash; a massive diamond engagement ring from her fiancé, Georgios Frangulis; and her first title at ATP-WTA 1000 Indian Wells.
But Sabalenka’s tone changed abruptly when, as she was talking about her scheduling decisions, I asked her about the sharp rebuke she’d drawn from tournament director Salah Tahlak after withdrawing from his WTA 1000 Dubai event last month.
The WTA No. 1 did not hold back, and threatened to boycott one of the WTA’s elite events—the one in the city where she’s based, no less.
“I’m not sure if I ever want to go [back] there, after his comment.” -Aryna Sabalenka
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