- Aryna Sabalenka defeated Paula Badosa on Friday during the World Tennis League
- But during a post-match interview, WTA No. 1 made an X-rated expletive
A tennis commentator had to apologize for a ‘colourful’ expletive used by tennis star Aryna Sabalenka during a post-match interview on Friday evening.
The WTA world number 1 secured a 1-0 victory against her friend Paula Badosa during the World League in the United Arab Emirates.
During the interview, which was broadcast live on Stan Sport, the Belarusian spoke about the Spanish word she uses when expressing her frustrations on the pitch.
Standing next to Spanish number 1 Badosa, Sabalenka said: ‘I was just showing off my Spanish skills.
“It’s your fault,” she added as she spoke to Badosa.
“You have to teach me better things than p***,” Sabalenka continued.
Aryna Sabalenka appeared to use an expletive during a television interview after her victory over Paula Badosa
During the interview, which was broadcast live on Stan Sport, the Belarusian spoke about the Spanish word she uses when expressing her frustrations on the pitch.
The 26-year-old realized she had made the comment live on television and stepped back from the microphone alongside Badosa and the interviewer, laughing.
Stan Sports commentator Robbie Koenig quickly intervened during the live broadcast, saying: “Apologies for the colorful language.”
Sabalenka has had an excellent season on the WTA Tour, winning seventeen tournaments, including the Australian Open Women’s Singles and the US Open.
On Saturday she returned to the court alongside Mirra Andreeva as the pair defeated Jasmine Paolini and Simona Halep.
Sabalenka has since admitted she is determined to retain her rank as the top women’s player after displacing Iga Swiatek at the top of the ladder in October.
While Sabalenka is currently competing in the UAE, she has one eye on winning her third consecutive Australian Open title in January. Should she retain her title, she will be the first woman to complete the feat since Martina Hingis in 1999.
‘You can’t be sure of that. It’s a mental thing,” she told The National as she assessed her ability to maintain the No. 1 ranking.
“Of course I want to stay there as long as possible and I’m working very hard for that, so let’s see what next season will be like,” she added.
The 26-year-old has had an excellent year on the WTA Tour, winning two Grand Slams
Sabalenka has also spoken out about Swiatek’s positive doping test.
The 23-year-old has completed a one-month ban after it emerged she tested positive for a banned substance in August.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency said the test was caused by contamination with a non-prescription drug melatonin, which the Polish star had taken to help her sleep.
“People are really used to overreacting before they figure things out, so I don’t want to leave a comment,” Sabalenka said when asked about the situation.
‘I believe in clean sport and I can’t add anything else to that.’