Aryna Sabalenka was accused of ‘disgusting’ behavior after she took her frustrations out on a ball kid at the Wuhan Open.

Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka was slammed for her interaction with a ball girl (Image: Sky Sports)

Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed at the Wuhan Open, faced criticism after showing impatience with a ball girl during a crucial game in the decisive set of Saturday’s semifinal against Coco Gauff. Despite trailing by a set and a break, Sabalenka managed to make a comeback, winning 1-6 6-4 6-4.

However, her victory was overshadowed by her frustration with one of the ball girls who took longer than expected to bring her the balls. The three-time Grand Slam champion was seen waving her arms to hurry the ball girl and looked visibly frustrated.

Aryna Sabalenka slammed by fans for behavior toward ball girl - Tennis - Sports - Daily Express US

Her actions did not go unnoticed by fans online, who were quick to criticize her. One user on X wrote: “Girl… not need to take your frustration out on those poor ball kids.”

Other social media users echoed similar sentiments, with one calling her behavior “nasty”. Another wrote: “Disgusting behavior from Sabalenka here, should never treat ball kids this way.”
Several observers noted that Sabalenka was not the only player to behave in this manner toward ball kids. “The way some of these players think they can treat ball kids and umpires any way they want is actually just shameless honestly, not a good look at all,” one X user wrote.

Sabalenka was visibly frustrated

Sabalenka was visibly frustrated (Image: Sky Sports)

However, Sabalenka seemed to recognize her mistake during the match. When she next requested balls from the same girl, she held out her racket for the ball kid to place them on.

After selecting her balls, she left the rest on the racket and handed it back to the girl, sharing a laugh with the crowd as she appeared to acknowledge her previous actions. This incident wasn’t the only source of frustration for the world No. 2 during the game, as Gauff broke her to level the score at 4-4 in the decider. Nevertheless, Sabalenka maintained her composure and won the next two points to secure her spot in the final.