"The funniest one was from Novak Djokovic" - Aryna Sabalenka reveals how Serb congratulated her ahead of the duo's rise to World No. 1 after US Open
Aryna Sabalenka stated she received a lot of wishes after becoming the World No. 1 and revealed the funniest message was sent by Novak Djokovic, who will also reclaim the top spot in the ATP rankings as soon as the US Open concludes.
Sabalenka will overtake Iga Swiatek to reach the WTA pole position for the first time in her career as the latter crashed out of the US Open following a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round. Djokovic, too, is set to eclipse Carlos Alcaraz and become the World No. 1 again after the New York Major.
Sabalenka acknowledged Ons Jabeur, whose US Open campaign ended on Monday (September 4) following a setback in the fourth round, for congratulating her on the achievement.
"Yeah, very nice from Ons. After her tough loss, she gave me five. She was still upset, but she still come to me and congratulate me. I love this girl. She's amazing. I think she's the best," Sabalenka said during a press conference at the US Open.
The Belarusian further disclosed that Djokovic's congratulatory message was the funniest she received.
"I mean, I got a lot of messages, a lot of support from a lot of people, players. The funniest one was from Djokovic because he also became world No. 1, will become world No. 1, after US Open."
"Someone mentioned us with this funny sunglasses from the US Open. He just send me like, Smile if you will become world No. 1 soon. It was the funniest one, I would say," Aryna Sabalenka added.
"Don't want to celebrate anything before the end of the US Open" - Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka also said she is more focused on winning her second Grand Slam title of the year than her ranking.
"I'm focusing on US Open. I don't want to celebrate anything before the end of the US Open. So I just want to focus on this tournament more than on World No. 1," she said in the press room.
The 2023 Australian Open winner suggested she might just eat something fun to celebrate her achievement.
"Maybe I will eat pizza or burger. Always about the food. I mean, I like to eat. Sorry, guys. It is how it is," Aryna Sabalenka added.
The 25-year-old has qualified for the quarterfinals in New York as she registered a comfortable victory over Daria Kasatkina on Monday. She will next face China's Qinwen Zheng for a place in the semifinals.