Sabalenka approves mixed doubles with Djokovic: "I'm waiting for his message.."
The Belarusian player showed her good sense of humor in the latest press conference from Australia, where once again she will be among the top eight in the draw.
Four matches, four victories, and still without losing a single set. Life is smiling at Aryna Sabalenka in this Australian Open 2026, already with one foot in the quarterfinals after taking another step forward in her win over Victoria Mboko.
The Belarusian hardly suffered for a few minutes at the end of the second set, a moment when the Canadian pushed back and threatened to extend the match, but that's when the best Aryna Sabalenka showed up to control the situation. Before facing Iva Jovic in the upcoming quarterfinals, the World No. 1 showed her brightest smiles in the press conference, where some topics unrelated to the match emerged, such as, for example, that hypothetical mixed doubles with Novak Djokovic that could happen at this year's US Open. Will it come true?
Fourth victory in the tournament
"She is an incredible player, it’s been a great battle, I'm super happy to have been able to close this match in straight sets since things got a bit tougher in the second. I am pleased with the level I played, happy to finish this way."
The design of her outfit
"The outfit is quite comfortable, as I always say, it's important to make sure it's the right length so it doesn't hit you anywhere, don't want that happen. As for the jewelry I'm wearing, they seem heavy but they're not, very comfortable and make me feel beautiful on the court, which is also important. As for the 'outfit', I've been talking with Nike for a while, telling them I would like to see some colors from the past in these new collections. Then these beautiful colors came to mind, so I'm very happy about it."
Mboko's small comeback
"She's an incredible opponent, that's for sure. These types of matches are always tough, I love taking the first slot of the day, although I admit that at times the sun can bother you during the service turn. It's complicated, it hasn't been easy, it's a factor that can mess with your serve. That's what happened; she made two consecutive breaks while I moved from the sunny side, even though she did an excellent job. I knew she would try, that there would be a fight, that she had nothing to lose, so she showed incredible tennis at those moments."
Transparent within the locker room
"I just behave as I am, nothing more. I'm not trying to do anything, there are many great players out there, great people, so I feel comfortable being myself. I always knew it would be like this, that I would never change, no matter what ranking I have. No matter the reach I have in this world, I will always be me. I think it's like that also because I've been through many challenges, which weren't easy, that made me stay true at all times."
The making-off of the TikTok with Badosa and Anisimova
"This is something that happened naturally; at that moment, we were laughing with Paula (Badosa) in the locker room, until Amanda (Anisimova) showed up, and we were all good together. I asked Amanda if she wanted to join us on TikTok, and she said yes, it would be fun. I was really happy to share that moment with them, so a few hours later, we came up with the idea of making that video for social media. I don't think it's strange either; most players know that I'm a pretty open person and can have fun talking about anything. I don't think anyone would be surprised by my way of being."
When will Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic play together?
"Maybe we play at the US Open this year (laughs). I mean, I'm still waiting; they barely asked me to compete in last year's US Open, so I'm still waiting for that long message from him, telling me how he would like to play with me, saying that I'm his dream partner (laughs). I'm still waiting for that message, but for now, I didn't get it, I don't know, maybe we'll never play together (laughs)."
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka aprueba un dobles mixto con Djokovic: “Estoy esperando su mensaje…”