Aryna Sabalenka Couldn’t “Relate” to Pam Shriver’s Frustration of Australian Open’s Bizarre Scheduling Decision

The Australian Open 2025 has begun with its signature flair. Though the liveliest attractions are not merely limited to the courts. There is far more to chew on than the average baseline drama. And now? Pam Shriver has stirred a fresh controversy. Former American Pro, known for never mincing her words, called out the tournament’s scheduling choices, slamming them for sidelining women’s matches into less-advantageous viewing hours. The debate over gender equality is back—and louder than ever.

Aryna Sabalenka has also joined the debate but with a slightly different perspective. Moments after dismantling rising star Mirra Andreeva in a commanding 6-1, 6-2 opening-round victory, the Belarussian responded to the growing furor in a post-match conference with “I just don’t relate to that,” shrugging off the controversy. In a post-match conference, Sabalenka reflected,  “I enjoy playing at both times because if you finish early, you can have dinner, relax, and get to bed at a reasonable hour, which helps with recovery,” she said. “At the same time, playing at 7 p.m. has its own charm—the atmosphere in a packed stadium is incredible.”

Reflecting on the tournament’s scheduling, she added, “I’m not sure about the exact timings—I think there were women’s matches scheduled for 7 p.m. yesterday. For now, I’m happy with the way things have been planned and, honestly, I just can’t relate to this issue.

The controversy began brewing when Schiver noticed a pattern. Women’s matches were consistently scheduled earlier in the day, leaving the prime-time slots to the men. The tipping point came on Sunday when Pam Shriver took to X to call out the Australian Open.

Shriver, a seven-time Australian Open doubles champion, pointed to the order of play for Rod Laver Arena, where Sabalenka faced Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff battled Belinda Bencic—both early matches. Following them were high-profile men’s clashes featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the evening slots. “ What’s going on with AO scheduling? Is it a race to get women’s matches out of the way early?” Shriver questioned

Pam Shriver wasn’t the only one weighing in on the scheduling controversy at the Australian Open—others joined the chorus of criticism. Catherine Whittaker of The Tennis Podcast pulled no punches, saying the Day 8 schedule, which included high profile WTA players like Sabalenka, Paula Badosa,  Gauff, Bencic, Anastasia Pavlychenkova, “a real ‘let’s get the women out of the way’ flavor about it.”

Famous journalist Ben Rothenberg, who has more than 150k X followers, criticized the frontloaded order of play and sweltering heat. “Weird frontloaded OOP and matches burnt by the heat…easily the least enjoyable day of this Aus Open so far, but it is setting up some really neato QFs,” Rothenberg tweeted

And now, as far as Aryna Sabalenka goes, the world No. 1, who is vying to become the first woman of the 21st century to win three consecutive Australian Open titles—and the first since Martina Hingis (1997–1999)—is making waves not just for her post-match reaction and dominant performances but for what she did post-match on court on Sunday.

Aryna Sabalenka’s Personal Polaroid Collection from the Tournament

Sabalenka’s dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andreeva was impressive enough, extending her head-to-head lead to 4-1. But the real surprise came after the match when, instead of reaching for a phone like most players, the three-time Grand Slam champion grabbed a powder-blue Polaroid camera from her bag. With a smile, she snapped a photo of her team in the stands, capturing the moment in her own unique way.

Later, Sabalenka revealed the photos weren’t just for fun. They were part of a special project she was working on with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, a Brazilian businessman and a founder of the superfood brand Oakberry.

Sabalenka elaborated on her love for this nostalgic approach: “My boyfriend and I came up with the idea that throughout the year, we’d collect Polaroid pictures and frame them,” she told Casey Dellacqua in a post-match interview. “I hope we have a lot of cool moments this year to collect, and we’re going to have cool pieces of art to put up in the house!”

“I really like to see all of those pictures,” she added later. “I started from the preseason, and it’s so cute to see these little moments.

Now, Aryna Sabalenka shifts her focus to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as she braces for a quarterfinal showdown with the Russian on 21 January, Tuesday. A win in there will see her against 2023 US Open Champion Coco Gauff or long-time friend Paula Badosa, who is herself having her best run at the Australian Open. What do you reckon? What are the odds of Aryna Sabalenka making a hat trick at the AO Open?