"Aryna Sabalenka had the same issue, why is she laughing?";"Not cool" - Fans react to Mirra Andreeva & Belarusian 'laughing at' Caroline Garcia at WTL
Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva have drawn criticism from fans for seemingly laughing at Caroline Garcia's expense at the 2024 World Tennis League. The duo squared off against Garcia and Elena Rybakina in a blockbuster doubles match at the exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
Sabalenka and Andreeva represented the Hawks at the World Tennis League, joining forces with Jordan Thompson and Sumit Nagal. Following the group stage, the Hawks took on the Falcons, comprising Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, Garcia, and Rybakina, in the highly anticipated final.
Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia made a dominant start to the crucial doubles contest, racing away to a 5-0 lead. However, Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva staged a remarkable comeback to level the scores. Although Garcia had two chances to close out the match, she double-faulted on both occasions.
Following her second double fault, Sabalenka and Andreeva were seen bursting into laughter and taking time to gain some composure, which led fans to infer that they were ridiculing Garcia.
"Not everyone laughing at her ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜," the fan posted.
Given Aryna Sabalenka's past struggles with double faults, one fan was baffled by the World No. 1 partaking in laughing at Garcia. Several fans also complained that Sabalenka and Andreeva's behavior was disrespectful to the Frenchwoman.
"Aryna had the same issue 2 years ago, why is she laughing?" one fan posted.
"I understand that they laugh at situation, not about her, but honestly I wouldn’t wanna be in Caro's place there 😠not cool..," another fan wrote.
"They are laughing at Garcia, and this is not cool," said another.
Many also sympathized with Garcia, with fans observing that she appeared visibly embarrassed following the incident.
"This embarrassment ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ poor caro," one fan commented.
"Ngl if this happened to me I'd disappear for months," a fan remarked.
"I would never be seen again if this happened to me ðŸ˜," another fan chimed in.
"We just couldn't hold it inside" - Aryna Sabalenka on her and Mirra Andreeva's laughing fit at WTL
Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva eventually triumphed over Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia, claiming a 7-6(5) victory. The winning duo couldn't control their giggles during the post-match interview either.
When the interviewer inquired about their uncontrollable laughter during the contest, Sabalenka declined to reveal the reason.
"No, I'm not gonna tell you what's so funny. At some point we just couldn't hold it inside," Sabalenka said.
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva will kick off their 2025 season at the Brisbane International, scheduled to commence on December 29. The duo will be joined by defending champion Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Emma Navarro at the WTA 500 event.