World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was in no mood for another ridiculous media narrative Wednesday night following her dominant second-round victory at the US Open.
The two-time defending champion demolished Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium, extending her US Open winning streak to 16 matches.
But instead of asking Sabalenka about her commanding performance, Matthew Futterman, a sportswriter for the New York Times-owned outlet The Athletic, decided to focus on her sponsorship appearances ahead of the tournament.
“How are you finding your mood now that the tournament has started?” Futterman asked. “Obviously last week it’s lots of parties and fun and stuff like that.”
Big mistake.
Sabalenka immediately called out the insulting implication that she had been partying instead of preparing for one of the biggest tournaments of the year.
“You guys are, like, a joke. Parties, fun. Why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that?” Sabalenka fired back.
She then asked why the reporter assumed that posting photos from sponsor events meant she had been “partying” rather than training.
“Just because I posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I’ve been partying, not training?”
Futterman quickly attempted to walk back his own words, claiming he was merely referring to the large number of events and appearances surrounding the tournament.
“I’m not suggesting you were partying… I’m saying there are a lot of events and things like that. I’m not saying you go to the parties.”
“You literally said that,” Sabalenka responded before demanding the next question.
When he tried again to lecture the room that he was not “suggesting that Aryna is having fun at these parties,” she cut him off: “OK. Move on.”
He still wouldn’t drop it and then asked whether Sabalenka had become more “serious and combative” now that the tournament was underway.
“Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that,” Sabalenka shot back sarcastically. “Next question. Think before you say stuff.”
Ouch.
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