Aryna Sabalenka Shrugs Off Online Trolls: “It Just Shows How Terrible They Are”
Being at the top of your game in any sport is tough. The pressure, the training, the constant travel—it’s a grind. Now, imagine adding a relentless stream of online hate to that mix. Welcome to the world of Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 in women’s tennis, who recently decided to pull back the curtain on the cesspool that is social media for high-profile athletes.
After a well-deserved break in Greece with her boyfriend following her second US Open victory, Sabalenka is back in China for the Wuhan Open. And let’s be real, she basically owns this tournament, having won it the last three times she played. But before she started defending her title, she got candid about the dark side of fame.
You’d think being a global superstar with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok would be all sunshine and adoring fans, right? Wrong. For every fan, there seems to be a troll lurking in the shadows, ready to spew negativity. Sabalenka, however, seems to have found the ultimate cheat code: just laugh at them.
Sabalenka’s Strategy for Dealing With Haters
Let’s face it, the internet can be a dumpster fire, and athletes often get the worst of it. Sabalenka didn’t mince words when talking about the hate she receives.
“Well, I think all of us go through a lot of hate,” she stated, almost as if it’s just another part of the job description. “Throughout my career, I faced a lot of hate and a lot of different hate for different reasons. So I figured that the more you give attention to that, the more it takes energy from you.”
It’s a simple, yet brilliant, strategy. Don’t feed the trolls. But even the best of us get curious. Sabalenka admits to occasionally diving into the DMs to see who’s behind the keyboard. And what she finds is… well, pretty much what you’d expect from the internet’s finest.
“Sometimes I’m shocked. Sometimes there’s like, mothers messaging such terrible things,” she revealed, a mix of disbelief and amusement in her tone. The idea of a mom tucking her kids into bed and then logging on to hurl abuse at a professional athlete is both horrifying and, in a twisted way, kind of hilarious.
She paints a vivid picture of these anonymous critics: “Sometimes it just you can see the person is doing nothing and commenting on people who is trying to do something in life, who is trying to motivate, inspire next generation.”
Her final take on it? “I take it as a joke… It’s just, it just shows how terrible they are as people. And I think every player should take it as a joke and never, never, ever really go deep into that dark, dark space of social media.” It’s a burn so cold, it could freeze over a tennis court in July.
Why Sabalenka Won’t Log Off
Despite the negativity, don’t expect Sabalenka to go dark on social media anytime soon. She’s embraced being an “open book,” sharing her life with fans for a very specific reason. On the court, she’s a powerhouse, an aggressive force of nature that can be intimidating. She knows it, and she doesn’t even like watching herself play.
“I feel terrible about myself because I’m super aggressive,” she admitted.
So, she turned to social media to show the world the person behind the powerhouse. “I wanted to feel support in the stadiums. I wanted to experience that support, so I felt like I need to share myself,” she explained. “I need to show people who, who Aryna is.”
It’s a bold move, making yourself vulnerable to connect with people, and it seems to have paid off. She’s not just a tennis player; she’s Aryna, a person her fans feel they know. And that connection is more powerful than any hater’s comment.
As she gets ready to dominate in Wuhan yet again, it’s clear Sabalenka has her priorities straight. She’s focused on her game, her fans, and laughing off the absurdity of online trolls. In the battle of Sabalenka vs. The Haters, it’s game, set, and match to the queen of the court.
