WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka hits ball straight at cameraman, knocks down camera during practice session at Dubai Tennis Championships
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka cleaned up the camera-set up during her recent practice session at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Sabalenka is gearing up for a return to the women's tour this week, following her terrific run at the Australian Open 2024. Making light work of the competition in Melbourne, the Belarusian captured her second Grand Slam crown and became the first women's player to defend her title since 2013.
Looking raring to go again and continue her potent form on tour, Sabalenka was spotted hitting the practice courts in Dubai. During the session, one of her groundstrokes inadvertantly knocked down the camera set-up filming her, and the 25-year-old later playfully acknowledged the cameraman with authority.
WTA's social media handle shared a video of the incident on Instagram.
"@sabalenka_aryna shows off her aim...literally," they captioned the post.
Aryna Sabalenka will be making her seventh appearance at the Dubai Tennis Championships. She is still searching for her first title at the WTA 1000 event, having reached the quarterfinals on three previous occasions.
The World No. 2 outclassed the likes of Lauren Davis and Jelena Ostapenko last year, but couldn't make her mark against Barbora Krejcikova in the last eight. The Czech not only outplayed Sabalenka, but also went on to lift the title in Dubai.
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff will be top four seeds at the Dubai Tennis Championships
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff will be the top four seeds at the upcoming Dubai Tennis Championships.
All four players have set the bar high for fellow competitors on the women's tour with their outstanding performances in the last couple of years. Swiatek has captured three Major titles since 2022 with Sabalenka closing in on the Pole, bagging two titles. Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina have also opened their account at the Majors, chalking up wins at the 2023 US Open and the 2022 Wimbledon Championships respectively.
The likes of Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, Karolina Muchova and reigning Wimbledon Champion Marketa Vondrousova are also expected to feature at the Dubai Tennis Championships. While Pegula will return to action following her lackluster run at the Australian Open, World No. 10 Muchova will be resuming her duties after a five-month lay off due to a wrist injury.
Former champions in Dubai, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko are also included in the entry list and will challenge the top players for the prize. Svitolina is a two-time champion at the Dubai Tennis Championships and will be eager to have a successful tournament this time around.