WATCH| Aryna Sabalenka Makes A Special Request To Roger Federer And Rod Laver After Gritty Australia Open Win

Aryna Sabalenka had a fan girl moment at her Australian Open Opener on January 18, 2026, where she met tennis royalty Roger Federer and Rod Laver. Aryna Sabalenka overpowered French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1, where she found herself struggling in the first set after a breakdown to make the comeback.

Following the match, commentator Jelena Dokic asked Sabalenka if she had noticed some special guests in the audience section today. The World no.1 admitted that during the match, she had to constantly remind herself not look at Roger Federer and Rod Laver in the crowd and acknowledged that their presence had added some extra pressure on her to perform.

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Aryna Sabalenka Makes A Request To Federer And Rod Laver After Opener Win

When asked about Roger Federer and Rod Laver, Sabalenka confessed to being a huge fan of theirs and even requested if she could get a picture with them. Additionally, she shared that it was a privilege to be able to play in front of such tennis legends.

Sabalenka shared, "Yeah! I’m a huge fan, guys, can I take picture with you, please? I got a little bit tight. I wanted to show great tennis so you guys enjoy watching me play."

She further added, "But, oh my god, what a privilege. Thank you so much, I really hope you guys enjoyed at least a little bit. That was definitely a lot of pressure. I was like, the whole match, I was walking, thinking don’t look there, don’t look there, don’t look there."

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Aryna Sabalenka Advances To Second Round In Australian Open

Sabalenka started her chase for her third Australian Open in four years in a rather underwhelming fashion. She lost the first three points while serving, and while she was able to make a deuce, it misfired, and she lost another point early on.

Later on, she was able to break the French player and eased past in the second set to advance to the next round. Sabalenka will likely face Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan in her next round.