Aryna Sabalenka shut down a US Open partying question at a Flushing Meadows press conference in early September 2026, telling the reporter to think before speaking after one of her wins in New York.
The exchange began when a reporter put it to Sabalenka that she had spent the previous week on parties and fun before asking how she was feeling, as reported by Sky Sports.
Sabalenka rolled her eyes before answering.
What Sabalenka said about the US Open partying question
Sabalenka answered the room directly rather than deflecting the premise, a response that has since travelled well beyond the tennis press. She questioned why the subject had been put to her at all after a week of competition.
Sabalenka told the press conference:
“You guys are, like, a joke. Parties, fun, like, why would you even say that?”
She then set out what she believed the question was built on, pointing to the promotional content she had posted online.
Brand and sponsor commitments are a standard part of a top player’s schedule around a grand slam, and appearing at them is not the same as skipping training.
Sabalenka continued:
“Just because I posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I’ve been partying, not training?”
Why the US Open partying question drew a rebuke
The reporter turned to the rest of the media in the room to clarify the intention behind the question, saying the suggestion had not been that Sabalenka was partying, but that top players attend brand and sponsor events during tournament weeks.
The clarification did not settle the exchange. Sabalenka’s closing line to the reporter was brief, and it ended that line of questioning in the room. Press conferences at grand slams are contractual obligations for players, held within minutes of leaving court.
Sabalenka told the reporter:
“Think before you say stuff.”
The US Open is the fourth and final grand slam of the season, played on hard courts at Flushing Meadows in Queens. Sabalenka came through her match before facing the media, and the question arrived in the middle of a routine post-match session.
The moment spread quickly because it touched a familiar friction between players and the media over how off-court activity is read. Sabalenka has been one of the sport’s most visible commercial figures, which places her posts under closer examination than most.
Sabalenka is still in the draw at Flushing Meadows, and her form on court will decide how long the exchange stays in circulation.
A deep run keeps her in front of the same media room every couple of days, with the same questions available to be asked again.
