Saba revealed that the former coach often called her stupid and never played, and now he hopes that they will quit the circle!

Sabalenka lashed out at her former coach in an interview after winning the third round of the 2025 French Open. The Belarusian recalled some of their frustrating comments about her and called on them to simply quit for the sake of the players they are currently coaching.

The reigning world number one was on a hot streak at Roland Garros, easily beating his opponents in the first two rounds, and Friday's bumper against Danilovic was no exception. Sabalenka was asked in her post-match press conference about being "inspired" by her former coach after her 6-2 6-3 win over the Serbian.

Although she did not name who, Sabalenka recalled that they had questioned her intelligence and abilities. "It's not a question of them asking too much of me. I've always been very motivated, they don't have to push me at all. But I've heard a lot of things about me not being smart enough, that I'm stupid, that I'm never going to make it, that I don't have what it takes to get to the top. The three-time Grand Slam champion said.

According to Sabalenka, she was really just smiling because she knew that one day she would be in the position she was in. The 27-year-old also called on her former coaches to step away from tennis altogether, arguing that it would benefit her current players.

"I just laughed and said, 'We'll see.'" I think it's time to say to them: quit, to be honest, I don't think they understand anything, and resignation is the biggest help for the other players. Sabalenka concluded.

In 2020, Sabalenka hired a compatriot from Belarus, Anton Dubrov, as her coach, and he has been by her side ever since. Under Dubrov's tutelage, Sabalenka has gradually become one of the most dominant players in women's tennis today, winning 14 of the 20 singles titles, including the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens, as well as the 2024 US Open.

Dubrov also witnessed Sabalenka's two-time WTA singles world No. 1 appearance. She briefly reached the top spot in 2023 but regained the world number one title in 2024 and has held it so ever since. In November 2024, Dubrov spoke about what Sabalenka needs to do to stay at the top of the rankings, while pointing to a notable improvement on her.

"The only thing you can do is focus on the next game. Because you're number one in the world, everyone has no baggage on you and can play their best. And you, under top pressure and standards, have to be consistent and even higher in every appearance. Dubrov said in an interview.

"I think it's all about finding ways for her to deal with situations. And she's really getting better at that now. She understands that she can handle it even if it's not her best. ”

At the 2025 French Open, Sabalenka's next challenge will be a fourth-round clash with America's Anisimova. The American is one of the few players to have a head-to-head record ahead of Sabalenka, having won five of their seven meetings. The pair most recently faced off in the quarterfinals in Toronto last year, when Anisimova won 6-4 6-2.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)