Revisiting 12 Year Old Aryna Sabalenka’s Rage After Comparisons With Russian Beauty Maria Sharapova

Every young tennis player that we see on the court loves to be compared to great tennis legends like Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Billie Jean King, etc. In fact, most idolize them and consider it an honor to walk in their footsteps. But not world number 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

When she was young and setting records here and there, one of her father’s friends made the mistake of comparing her to a tennis legend. The saga ended with Sabalenka lashing out at them, angry at the resemblance to the Russian.

Aryna Sabalenka was not happy being compared to Maria Sharapova

In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka confessed in an interview how once when she was about 12 years old, she was compared to Maria Sharapova by one of her father’s friends. The Belarusian shared the story in detail with her fans during the interview.

She stated, “My dad told me a story. When I was maybe 12 a friend of his came to me and said: ‘Oh, you’re a future Sharapova.’ I was so angry. I said, ‘I’m a future Sabalenka, not a future Sharapova.”

Usually, tennis players love to have their names shared with legendary players, but Aryna Sabalenka took offense to it because she did not like being compared to anyone. She wanted to be one of a kind and be known for herself and not as someone who followed in the footsteps of another player.

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Even though Sabalenka did not like being compared to the tennis legend, she never said a bad word about her even when she won against her at the Shenzhen Open quarter-final in 2019.

Sabalenka shared words of appreciation for Sharapova after defeating her in 2019

After Sabalenka defeated Sharapova in the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open in 2019, she mentioned how she loved to play with the former world number 1. Sabalenka added, “I actually respect her because she is a great fighter and this is her best part of the game. She’s aggressive and focuses on each point.”

Further, she added that playing against Sharapova was not easy as she is a screamer on the court, just like Sabalenka herself. It was interesting to watch them both play not just for themselves but also for their fans!

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