WATCH: Sabalenka Produces Priceless Response To Being Called Beauty Standard Of Italy

Aryna Sabalenka was left shocked after an incident with Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Italian Open led to a reporter telling her she is a standard of beauty in Italy.

The WTA world no. 1 is looking to continue her highly successful start to 2025. She has reached six finals, winning three of them, and currently holds a massive lead over her rivals at the summit of the rankings.

Most of the headlines surrounding this year's Italian Open have been about Jannik Sinner's return to professional tennis after serving the three-month suspension he received in a case settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Sabalenka was probably expecting any questions about Sinner to be linked to his high-profile comeback and time on the sidelines. Instead, the Belarusian was stunned after being told about a fan comment made to Sinner.

During the ATP world No. 1's first practice session at the Italian Open, a fan suddenly told Sinner that he was as handsome as Sabalenka, a compliment the ATP Finals winner was undoubtedly not expecting.

After being told about the incident, Sabalenka immediately burst out laughing and briefly put her head into her arm while the reporter, asking the question, reiterated that the story did happen.

The reporter then asked Sabalenka if she was aware of her place as a reference point for beauty in Italy. The three-time Grand Slam champion humorously replied that she always felt connected to Italy.

Sabalenka and Sinner have done media appearances together because of their hard-court dominance since the start of 2024. They both won the singles at the 2024 Australian Open and 2024 US Open.

The men's and women's title winners at Grand Slams often do some media together after their triumphs. That is especially the case after the US Open, where champions go on morning shows to talk about their achievement.

That means Sabalenka and Sinner might have gotten to know each other a bit. However, comparing their beauty did not happen in any of their appearances together. The fan in Rome surprised everyone with their comment.

Sabalenka has one of the most extroverted and friendly off-court personalities in tennis. Therefore, it is unsurprising that she found the fan's comment funny and took it in her stride rather than feeling awkward.

On the court, Sabalenka will hope to take the next step at the Italian Open. She finished as the runner-up to Iga Swiatek last year, losing comprehensively in the final a few weeks after their much closer 2024 Madrid Open final, also won by Swiatek.

Since Swiatek won the 2024 French Open, Sabalenka's results have been much the better of the two. That is why she has built a formidable lead over the Pole in the rankings of more than 4,000 points.

The gap between the pair could grow further if Swiatek fails to retain her Italian Open and French Open titles.