Aryna Sabalenka already planning switch to new sport as world No. 1 opens up | Tennis | Sport
Aryna Sabalenka is only 27 years old, but she already knows what she wants to do when she retires from professional tennis. The Belarusian has spent 86 weeks and counting at No. 1 in the world, and already has four Grand Slam titles to her name. She recently completed the Sunshine Double and shows no signs of slowing down.
But that doesn’t mean Sabalenka hasn’t thought about life after tennis, and the recent Miami Open champion believes she will have to turn her attention to a completely different sport to channel her aggressive game style into something else.
“Until the end of my life, I’ll have to do something where I’m that aggressive—maybe boxing—because I feel like I’m balancing these two personalities really well,” the 24-time title winner told Esquire. “On the court, I’m quite aggressive, quite emotional, which I need to be to pull out my best tennis. Off the court, I’m a completely different person.”
Boxing is a long way off for Sabalenka right now, as the world No. 1 admitted tennis has saved her. “If not for tennis, I don’t know where I would be right now,” she admitted.
Sabalenka’s father, Sergey, passed away suddenly in November 2019 when he was aged just 43. The Belarusian returned to competition for the start of the 2020 season. Their dream was for her to win a couple of Grand Slam titles before she turned 25, and she won her first Australian Open title in 2023, months before her 25th birthday.
She defended her crown in Melbourne Park in 2024 and has since won back-to-back US Open titles, lifting the trophy in 2024 and 2025. “Going through loss, it’s important to do your work, keep yourself distracted,” Sabalenka explained.
“At the same time, it’s important to grieve, to cry, to go through the emotions. Never hold it inside, because it’ll destroy you from the inside. I was letting it go, but I was able to go on the court and practice.”
Sabalenka recently achieved another huge goal, completing the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back. She had never won Indian Wells before, and it turned out to be one of the best months of Sabalenka’s life both on and off the court.
Sabalenka might be keen to try her hand at boxing once she’s hung up her racket, but for now, the world No. 1 has a lot to play for.
