Aryna Sabalenka explains why her coach left her box mid-match at WTA Finals
NewsTuesday, 04 November 2025 at 18:45
Aryna Sabalenka won her second match at the 2025 WTA Finals, but it wasn't without showing some frustration during the third set of the match.
Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula took care of a few epic matches in recent months, and they played yet another high-quality match at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka won their first match at the event, so a second win could get them within touching distance of a semifinal spot.
The match started better for Sabalenka, who won the opening set 6-4, but she then lost the second set of the match 2-6, and was down a break at the start of the third set, when Pegula led 2-1.
The Belarusian is a player who wears her heart on her sleeve, and her coach, Anton Dubrov, fully experienced that during the match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sabalenka was frustrated by her own mistakes and vented her frustrations toward her box.
However, some of the words said probably crossed the line, which is why Sabalenka's coach, Dubrov, left her box. After the match, the world No. 1 was asked about this moment in her interview with Tennis Channel.
"Maybe I went a little bit too much on Anton. He's probably still here, so we're going to talk, but I don't know where he is. But I went a bit too much, I was so frustrated inside of me, and I was just trying to let it go, and probably I went too far. Not probably. I went too far."
"And honestly, I think it was the right move from him just to let me be on my own. I don't want to say it the way I want to say it, but he really upset me, and I was really stressed and angry with him."
Clashes between players and coaches are not unusual in tennis, as the stakes are extremely high, and in some cases, the frustrations can boil over. The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, and Nick Kyrgios are known for often angrily talking to their box.
Sabalenka has won both of her first two matches at the WTA Finals, but that still doesn't mean she will play in the semi-finals. If Coco Gauff beats her and Jessica Pegula beats Jasmine Paolini in two sets, the Belarusian might still finish the group outside the top two spots. That's why she approaches the event as any other tournament, aiming to win all the matches she plays.
"I look at this tournament as I have to win five matches if I want to hold the trophy. So, I'll go out there and I'll try to play a little bit cleaner tennis on my serve, I'll work on a couple of things, and then I'll try to bring my best tennis."
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