Tennis commentator forced to apologise after Aryna Sabalenka’s X-rated expletive on live TV

A tennis commentator was forced to apologise for a ‘colourful’ expletive tennis star Aryna Sabalenka used during a post-match interview on Friday night.

The WTA World No 1 wrapped up a 1-0 victory against her friend Paula Badosa during the World League in the United Arab Emirates.

During the interview, which was broadcast live on Stan Sport, the Belarusian spoke on the Spanish word she uses when expressing her frustrations on the court.

Stood alongside the Spanish No 1, Badosa, Sabalenka said: ‘I was just showing off my Spanish skills.

‘It’s your fault,’ she added speaking to Badosa.

‘You have to teach me better stuff than p***’ Sabalenka went on to say.

During the interview, which was broadcast live on Stan Sport, the Belarusian spoke on the Spanish word she uses when expressing her frustrations on the court

Realising she made the comment live on television, the 26-year-old stepped back from the microphone laughing alongside Badosa and the interviewer.

Stan Sport commentator Robbie Koenig quickly interjected over the live broadcast, stating: ‘Apologies for the colourful language.’

Sabalenka has enjoyed an excellent season on the WTA Tour, winning 17 tournaments including the Australian Open Women’s singles and the US Open.

On Saturday, she returned to the court alongside Mirra Andreeva as the pair defeated Jasmine Paolini and Simona Halep.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, has admitted she is determined to keep her rank as the top women’s player, after displacing Iga Swiatek at the top of the ladder back in October.

While Sabalenka is currently competing in the UAE, she has one eye firmly on winning her third consecutive Australian Open crown in January. Should she retain her title, she’ll be the first woman to complete the feat since Martina Hingis in 1999.

‘You cannot be confident on that. It’s a mental thing,’ she told The National when assessing her ability to hold onto the No 1 ranking.

‘Of course I’d like to stay there as long as possible and I’m working really hard for that, so let’s see how next season is going to be,’ she added.

The  26-year-old has enjoyed an excellent year on the WTA Tour, winning two Grand Slams

Sabalenka has also spoken out on Swiatek’s positive doping test.

The 23-year-old has completed a one-month ban after she was found to have tested positive in August for a banned substance. 

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said that the test was caused by a contamination of a non-prescription medication melatonin – which the Polish star had taken to help aid her sleep.

‘People are really used to overreacting before figuring stuff out, so I don’t want to leave any comments,’ Sabalenka said when asked on the situation.

‘I believe in clean sport and nothing else I can add.’