Aryna Sabalenka is safely through to the second round at Wimbledon, having impressed as she handily defeated qualifier Teodora Kostovic in straight sets.
Although the Serbian put up a brave fight and did raise some eyebrows with her on-court antics, the world number one remained unbothered and laser-focused in her mission.
She now awaits McCartney Kessler in the second round.
Aryna Sabalenka will have grand ambitions of winning this tournament this year, having come so close in 2025, only to narrowly lose a three-set thriller to Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals.
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The American then went on to crumble in the final, losing 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek.
Ironically, Sabalenka has been discussing the Polish superstar in her post-match press conference.
Aryna Sabalenka discusses the possibility of training with Iga Swiatek during Wimbledon
Although she was not explicitly asked about Swiatek, the Belarusian actually mentioned her by name along with Jessica Pegula when discussing her biggest rivals.
The question posed to her wondered whether she might ever consider practising with other top players during Grand Slam weeks, or if she tends to steer clear of them with the expectation that they will eventually meet.
Sabalenka admitted: “I don’t mind practising with doesn’t matter who is that. If it’s Jelena, if it’s Iga, if it’s Pegula, someone who’s tough out there and I can face them. I don’t mind that, to be honest.
“I think it’s all about which coach is friends with whom, then somehow… I don’t know, we keep the same players, the ones I’m hitting with. I don’t mind practising. I can practise with anyone, to be honest.”
Roger Federer refused to practise with Andy Murray at all during the peak of their playing days, suggesting that there is precedent for completely ignoring your biggest rivals in pursuit of greatness.
Aryna Sabalenka’s rivalry with Iga Swiatek is missing a key ingredient
For all the intense battles that Sabalenka and Swiatek have shared over the years, having faced one another on 13 occasions, their rivalry is missing some key ingredients to make it truly legendary.
After all, at one stage, they seemed set to be the two dominant forces on the WTA Tour.
The 28-year-old has gone on to achieve some semblance of that feat, but in the past two years, Swiatek’s powers have waned despite winning Wimbledon in 2025.
As such, their meetings have been far more sparse, with just one clash last year, in the semi-finals of the French Open.
This shockingly marked just the second time that they had ever faced one another in a Grand Slam, having never directly contested the final of a major.
If their rivalry is to ever reach the heights of some of their legendary predecessors, both Sabalenka and Swiatek must return to the peak of their powers and face one another in a Grand Slam final.
That is where true rivalries are born, and perhaps then Sabalenka might alter her stance on practising with Swiatek.
