Aryna Sabalenka plans to have children but will return to tennis

MELBOURNE: Aryna Sabalenka said Friday she planned to have children at some point in the next few years but, would return to tennis "just to challenge myself".

Before that happens the world number one has her sights set on a third Australian Open title after surviving a thorough examination from Anastasia Potapova to reach the last 16 with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (9/7) win.



Sabalenka, 27, was asked in her post-match press conference whether she could imagine herself playing in her late thirties like Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic who are all competing in Melbourne.

"Talking about myself, I mean, I'm not sure. I cannot say anything because you never know. You don't know what's waiting for you tomorrow," she said.

"Ideally for me, I would love to maybe have kids at 32 or something.

"But knowing me, I know that I love to accept tough challenges, so I feel like even after having a kid, I would love to challenge myself, coming back and see if I still have it, just to challenge myself.

"So probably we're going to see me being that grandma on tour trying. Hopefully I'll be pushing these young girls. We'll see."

Sabalenka, who is dating Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis, also touched on the importance of being a role model.

"That's the only focus I have, is to be a good example, to show that you can balance things, that you have to have fun and also be really focused on your career," she said.

"Just so the young kids are not making the same mistake that I made, being too much on tennis and actually creating a lot of pressure and kind of like destroying yourself from inside."

The four-time Grand Slam champion needed 2hr 2min to see off the unseeded Russia-born Austrian Potapova.

It set up a clash with fast-rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko for a place in the quarter-finals after the 17th seed battled past Danish 14th seed Clare Tauson in three sets.

Sabalenka and Mboko have never met, but the Belarusian said the youngster appeared to have a good head on her shoulders and would be a threat.

"I never actually talked to her, never had a chance to hit, to practise with her," she said.

"I was watching some matches. She's a great player, she's a fighter, she's playing really good, aggressive tennis.

"I feel like now seeing these girls achieving so much, playing such great tennis, being really mature, it's incredible. I feel like they mature much faster than, for example, than I did."


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