Aryna Sabalenka Reveals Future Plans: Motherhood at 32, Tennis Return for Personal Challenge
MELBOURNE: World number one Aryna Sabalenka has opened up about her personal and professional aspirations, revealing plans to start a family in her early thirties while expressing a strong desire to return to competitive tennis afterward purely "to challenge myself." The Belarusian star made these candid remarks following her hard-fought victory at the Australian Open on Friday.
Surviving Tough Test to Reach Last 16
Before contemplating her long-term future, Sabalenka had to navigate a challenging third-round encounter against Anastasia Potapova. The four-time Grand Slam champion needed two hours and two minutes to secure a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (9/7) victory over the unseeded Russia-born Austrian player. This hard-earned win keeps her quest for a third Australian Open title firmly on track.
Balancing Family Aspirations with Competitive Drive
During her post-match press conference, the 27-year-old was asked about the possibility of extending her career into her late thirties like contemporaries Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, and Marin Cilic. Sabalenka responded with thoughtful consideration about her personal timeline.
"Ideally for me, I would love to maybe have kids at 32 or something," Sabalenka revealed. "But knowing me, I know that I love to accept tough challenges, so I feel like even after having a kid, I would love to challenge myself, coming back and see if I still have it, just to challenge myself."
The tennis star, who is currently dating Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis, added with characteristic humor: "So probably we're going to see me being that grandma on tour trying. Hopefully I'll be pushing these young girls. We'll see."
Embracing Role Model Responsibilities
Sabalenka also spoke about the importance of being a positive example for younger players, emphasizing the need for balance in a professional athlete's life.
"That's the only focus I have, is to be a good example, to show that you can balance things, that you have to have fun and also be really focused on your career," she explained. "Just so the young kids are not making the same mistake that I made, being too much on tennis and actually creating a lot of pressure and kind of like destroying yourself from inside."
Next Challenge: Rising Canadian Teenager
Sabalenka's immediate focus now shifts to her fourth-round match against fast-rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. The 17th seed earned her place in the last 16 with a three-set victory over Danish 14th seed Clare Tauson.
Although the two players have never met on tour, Sabalenka acknowledged Mboko's potential threat. "I never actually talked to her, never had a chance to hit, to practise with her," Sabalenka admitted. "I was watching some matches. She's a great player, she's a fighter, she's playing really good, aggressive tennis."
The world number one expressed admiration for the new generation of players, noting: "I feel like now seeing these girls achieving so much, playing such great tennis, being really mature, it's incredible. I feel like they mature much faster than, for example, than I did."
As Sabalenka continues her Australian Open campaign, her revelations about future family plans and determination to return to tennis for personal challenge provide fascinating insight into the mindset of one of the sport's current dominant forces.
