- Aryna Sabalenka dazzled fans at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night
- She booked her place in the second round by beating Sloane Stephens
- The Belarusian would go on to perform a bizarre dance after the match
Defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka booked her passage to the second round of the tournament on Sunday night sealing a straight-sets victory against former US Open Champion Sloane Stephens.
But there was a bizarre moment after the match where the 2024 Australian Open champion was dared to do a dance by presenter Jelena Dokic.
Dokic played several of the 26-year-old’s dancing TikToks on the big screen, with Sabalenka stating: ‘I’m trying my best, I’m not the best dancer, but I am trying my best.’
But Dokic, pressed further, telling the world No 1: ‘I have a question. You always dance but there’s no one in the crowd. So, I have an idea…’
Sabalenka appeared to blush before saying: ‘Only if the whole crowd joins me!’
‘Of course, but how about we dance? If you want I can dance with you,’ Dokic said.
Aryna Sabalenka paused for a moment to dance on court at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday
It came after the defending champion (left) beat Sloane Stephens (right) in their opening-round clash
She added: ‘You show us the moves!’
The tunes started blaring over the tannoy system inside Rod Laver Arena, with the pair beginning subsequently showing off their dancing skills.
Aussie actress Rebel Wilson in the crowd was seen on her feet having a boogy, as Sabalenka and Dokic danced on the court.
‘Now they have approved that I am the worst dancer,’ Sabalenka said into the microphone laughing after the jive.
Sabalenka impressed on Sunday against Stephens taking a 4-0 lead in the first set.
While she struggled to fend off the American’s advances, with Stephens breaking back twice, She’d close out with a break of her own before serving out for the set point.
The 26-year-old again began to press on her opponent in the second set and this time would be more clinical on her own serve, not allowing Stephens to hit back at her before she took the match.
She raised eyebrows earlier this week by dropping a bombshell over when she could retire.
“Now I’m not running that much. I need to save my hips, my back,” she said, reflecting on when she used to run along the Yarra River as a younger player.
‘I’m 26, 27 this year, oh my god, 27 this year,” she said.
‘I played an exhibition with Mirra Andreeva — I’m nine years older than her. Nine. Being a professional athlete, I’m getting really close to my retirement. Can you believe that? People are retiring at like 30.’
Sabalenka claimed a 6-3 6-2 victory against her opponent getting her title defence off to a flying start in Melbourne
She was pressed again about her future.
‘I don’t know, it’s a tough question,’ she said.
‘I hope I’ll have a family. I love kids, I don’t want to have my first kid at 35.
‘I really want to have a kid and then come back. I want my kid to see how hard you should work in life to get things. So yeah, I don’t know. That’s a very deep conversation.’
