Sabalenka is clear: "I trust the electronic system more than the referees"

Aryna Sabalenka is already in Italy to compete in the WTA Roma 2025. The calendar doesn't give a break to the great dominator of the circuit, who this week wakes up surpassing the 11,000-points mark in the WTA ranking. It's a sign of her evolution, consistency, and regularity, which, however, doesn't keep the Belarusian up at night as she is focused on accumulating great titles. However, in the press conference before her debut, Aryna commented on a couple of current hot topics: the situation with the balls and the controversy over errors with electronic refereeing.

- An incredible season where, yes, she has had to deal with defeat in the finals. Is losing a final the worst feeling there is?

"Honestly, it's a 'good problem.' Some of the finals I lost were heartbreaking, difficult to accept, that's true. At the same time, I understand that there are moments when you have to learn that you weren't good enough on the court, learn from that defeat, and come back stronger. What I'm proud of is having returned after those finals, making changes on the court, seeing that the lesson was learned, and trying to play better tennis in the next one."

- About the electronic refereeing system in Madrid, which she prefers over the previous one after an issue in Stuttgart

"The situation in Madrid was much better. Personally, I didn't see any faults. I know there was a curious situation with Alexander (Zverev), clearly, it was a mistake. I think they fixed it the next day. My issues in Stuttgart were worse because the referee came down, checked the mark, and said it was out when it was clearly in. Not all referees are strong enough to admit their mistakes and make the right call. We all make mistakes, it's okay. Right now, I prefer the electronic system. I trust it more than the referees. I think it's better, so there is less tension between the player and the referee."

- 11,000 points in the ranking, demonstrating that her last 52 weeks have been outstanding. Does she have time to reflect on it?

"I always say that the time to reflect on your season is at the end of it. Right now, if I think about what I've already achieved this year, I realize it's a lot, but I try to take it step by step, focus on each tournament, each match, and not dwell on the past. Yes, it's true, so far this season has been very kind to me (smiles)."

- The recurring issue of balls, more present than ever in Middle East tournaments

"We have different balls in almost every tournament. In the Middle East tournaments, both were very tough on the body. Coming back after Australia and playing in those conditions, all super slow and with super heavy balls... many players suffer from shoulder or back injuries, I believe, because of the heaviness of the balls. I think it's time to consider a change of balls or find a way to make them less harsh on our bodies.

I was shocked by the balls in the Middle East. After 20 minutes, they became huge, the logos had come off. It was tough. It all depends on the surface. If the court is super slow, we should compensate with lighter balls. If the court is super fast, we can opt for slightly heavier balls. In the end, we should try not to change the balls so much; it's very tough on the body. I'm getting older, I have to take care of my body. Maybe Mirra Andreeva doesn't care, but she has to be with us on this (smiles)."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka lo tiene claro: "Confío más en el sistema electrónico que en los árbitros"