Aryna Sabalenka made a lightning start to her Miami Open campaign but then one stat made her “feel old,” which led to the 26-year-old funnily asking an on-court interviewer if the media was doing that deliberately to her.
On Thursday, the top seed saw off 64th-ranked Viktoriya Tomova 6-3 6-0 in less than an hour of play. Now, the Belarusian has a 2-0 head-to-head record in their matches, having also defeated the Bulgarian in their first matchup at the Futures event in Budapest in 2016.
“The last time you played Viktoriya was almost 10 years ago… Can you believe it?” the interviewer asked Sabalenka.
Bringing up the stat that their last meeting before Miami came a decade ago made the Belarusian – who will turn 27 in May – feel old: “Oh my God… You guys just keep reminding me how old I am.”
Sabalenka had a similar situation in Indian Wells
After setting up a final against 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in Indian Wells, the world No. 1 was asked whether facing a 17-year-old teenager was adding extra pressure on her to win. Realizing that she was nine years older than the Russian teenage sensation made the Belarusian “feel depressed.”
“I still feel like I’m 18. You know, it’s just so awkward for me to think that I’m 26 and 27 this year, and she’s 17 and is, like, just two years older than my sister… I’m depressed right now. Why do you ask that question? I’m almost 30 (smiling),” Sabalenka said.
After arriving in Melbourne for this year’s Australian Open, the three-time Slam winner said that she was “getting really close to retirement.” During that same conversation, she stated that “people are retiring at 30” and noted that she would like to have a family one day and that she would prefer that to happen before she is 35.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka plays Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the Miami third round – the Romanian who is one year older than her.
Tennis World USA