Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka effortlessly advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open on Tuesday, overcoming 18-year-old American Iva Jovic amidst sweltering temperatures. The excitement continued well after the final point was played.
With her sights set on another victory at Melbourne Park, Sabalenka appeared relaxed as she spoke with former Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic in an on-court interview.
Dokic ventured off the topic of tennis, creating a slightly awkward moment for Sabalenka, whose boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, was watching from the stands.
“You’re world number one, just like Carlos Alcaraz. Both of you are reigning US Open champions and have reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set. But there’s one more thing you share,” Dokic noted.
“Your birthdays—both on May fifth.”
Women’s World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka saw the funny side of Jelena Dokic’s line of questioning about her similarities to Carlos Alcaraz
The tennis superstar found the suggestion of swapping presents with men’s No.1 Carlos Alcaraz slightly awkward
Dokic and Sabalenka shared a laugh when the No.1 seed asked her boyfriend to leave before she answered one of the questions
“So, I have a proposal,” Dokic added with a smile. “I think we should start a tradition: you two should exchange gifts.”
‘And if you did, what would you gift Carlos, and what would you like to get from him, because I know you love your diamonds? Just putting it out there.’
The question took a laughing and blushing Sabalenka by surprise, and she made a cheeky gesture to her partner Georgios Frangulis, asking: ‘Can you leave?’
‘No, no, what would I give him? I would offer him a TikTok dance probably, and I would like to receive “yes” as an answer.’
Dokic probed further, asking: ‘Yes to what?’
‘To TikTok,’ Sabalenka replied.
‘To do a dance? OK, so we have to get Carlos to dance,’ Dokic said.
‘Yeah, last year I forced him to do it, so I feel like I can do it again,’ Sabalenka replied.
Sabalenka and Alcaraz share the same birthday and are both reigning US Open champions
Sabalenka is dating Brazilian businessman and founder of the superfood brand Oakberry Georgios Frangulis (pictured together)
‘We’ll get it out there, Carlos, get your dancing shoes out, OK,’ Dokic said.
The pair famously did a TikTok dance with their US Open trophies last year, with Sabalenka posting the video with the caption: ‘May 5th must be a really lucky birthday to have.’
But Dokic was not finished there.
‘Last one, you’re dazzling us with your tennis. There’s something else that’s dazzling. I mean, I, I’m going blind here, your diamonds, everywhere,’ Dokic said.
‘So I want to help you as you go further in this tournament, it’s hot, you need to recover well, it looks heavy. I think you should give it to me so that I look after it.’
‘For you anything, my dear,’ Sabalenka replied, taking off her watch and handing it to the Aussie tennis star.
‘Really? Do I want to know how much this costs?’ Dokic asked.
‘A lot,’ Sabalenka laughed, before helping Dokic put the expensive timepiece on.
‘Can I just ask, I don’t want to know how much it costs, but do we have insurance?’ Dokic asked.
‘I’m pretty sure we do,’ Sabalenka replied.
‘You trust me this much?’ a stunned Dokic asked.
‘Yeah, I know you, you’re gonna give it back to me,’ Sabalenka replied.
