Aryna Sabalenka wants to be given credit by Novak Djokovic if the Serb wins the Shanghai Masters as the Belarusian tennis star jokes she prepared him well for the tournament during their recent practice session.
After winning the US Open, Sabalenka went to Greece with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis. There, the WTA world No. 1 met Djokovic, who moved with his family to Greece a few months ago. And the two tennis stars figured out it was a good chance for them to practice together.
"He was really competitive, and he was screaming. But I won a lot of points against him, for the record. I hope he's going to confirm that," the top-ranked WTA player said.
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Sabalenka: If Djokovic wins Shanghai, I'll say, 'It was all me'
"We practiced a couple of times. I hope I was a great hitting partner. So far, he's winning in Shanghai. I guess it was a good one. I really hope he goes all the way. He's going to win the tournament, and I'm going to say it was all me," the 27-year-old joked.
So far, Djokovic has won four matches in Shanghai. On Thursday, the former world No. 1 defeated Zizou Bergs 6-3 7-5 to set up a quarterfinal meeting against qualifier sensation Valentin Vacherot. The Serb and 204th-ranked Vacherot have no previous meetings.
As you probably know, the 38-year-old Serb hasn't won any Grand Slam or Masters titles since 2023. And Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the biggest reasons why. But in Shanghai, Alcaraz didn't participate while Sinner exited the tournament in the third round after cramping and retiring from his match versus Tallon Griekspoor.
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Last year, Djokovic - a four-time Shanghai champion - fell just short of winning his fifth title at the tournament after losing to Sinner in the final. Without Alcaraz and Sinner in the field, it is safe to say that the Serb definitely feels well about his chances of making it all the way this year.
