Aryna Sabalenka will not think about switching careers from tennis to soccer after a hilarious mishap at an event in Riyadh. The World No. 1 is currently in Saudi Arabia to compete in the 2024 WTA Finals.
Before the main draw action, Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, who is not playing in the WTA Finals, headlined an event with youth soccer players in Riyadh on Tuesday, (Oct. 29). As part of the meet-and-greet, the duo was given a chance to show off their soccer skills, and the Belarusian pounced on the opportunity.
Sabalenka stepped up to take a penalty kick and was tasked with hitting the ball in one of the holes in the net. Instead, the 26-year-old’s shot hit a camerawoman stationed behind the net on her head. Sabalenka quickly rushed to apologize to the camerawoman, who assured her that she was alright.
Jabeur also checked in on the photographer and jokingly asked her to tell Sabalenka that she has “no insurance.” The Tunisian continued the banter on social media by sharing the video on her handles and hilariously captioned the post:
“Our world number one @arynasabalenka is doing serious damages in Riyadh.”
Sabalenka also shared the clip on her Instagram handle and expressed relief that her parents pushed her to have a career in tennis and not soccer in light of her accident.
“I’m glad my parents got me into tennis,” she wrote on her Instagram Story.
Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed at the 2024 WTA Finals. She attained the honor after recently rising to the summit of the WTA ranking for the second time in her career in late October at the expense of Iga Swiatek. The Belarusian will compete in the WTA Finals for a third consecutive year.
Aryna Sabalenka is drawn in the Purple Group alongside Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, and Zheng Qinwen. The three-time Grand Slam champion will kick off her campaign against Zheng on November 2. Sabalenka was runner-up at the WTA Finals on her debut in 2022 and reached the semifinals in 2023.
The Belarusian qualified for the 2024 WTA Finals on the back of four titles. She defended her title at the Australian Open and bagged her maiden US Open title this year. In addition, Sabalenka picked up two WTA 1000 accolades in Cincinnati and Wuhan.
