World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is known for her unique grunts in the tennis world, and they quickly made headlines at the 2026 Australian Open. The Belarusian received a hindrance warning from the chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell, stunning the entire tennis world. She argued with the umpire on the court, asking for a video review, and ended up losing the point.
During the post-match press conference, Sabalenka voiced her displeasure, stating that the umpire had “pissed her off.”
Aryna Sabalenka Calls Out the Australian Open Chair Umpire After Controversial Hindrance Call
During the first point of the fourth game in the first set, Sabalenka returned one of Svitolina’s forehands with one of her own, only for the umpire to stop the play. Right after the Ukrainian returned the ball, the umpire said, “Stop, hindrance,” leaving both players confused. She then immediately turned towards the Belarusian and explained to her that she made a noise different from her normal grunts, leaving her absolutely stunned.
She immediately asked for a video review, but the decision stood, and the Ukrainian won the point. This left the World No. 1 fuming, which was reflecting on her performance. She went on to win the set 6-2 and then finished out the match in just 77 minutes to reach her fourth consecutive Australian Open final.
During her post-match press conference, a reporter asked Sabalenka’s view on the controversial moment from the match. She gave a shocked reaction, saying, “Oh, that’s actually never happened to me, like never happened to me.”
She then went on to explain the biological reason behind her grunts, saying, “Especially with my grunting, it’s like, I don’t know, it’s so off, I think. And the way that I don’t know how to explain.”
Describing the point and her immediate reaction after the call, Sabalenka said, “It was just like the ball was deep, the bounce was wrong, and it was just like the timing, and I was like exhaling, and it just happened naturally, and then she called it, and I was like ‘What? What is wrong with you?'”
“Like, I mean, I think it was a wrong call, but whatever, she really, how do I say it in a nice way? She really pi**ed me off, and it’s actually helped me and benefit my game,” she said.
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She then called out the umpire directly, explaining how the call benefited her gameplay, “I was more aggressive; I was not happy with the call, and it really helped me to get that game. So if she ever wants to do it again, I want to make sure that she’s not afraid of it. Go ahead, call it. It’s going to help me.”
The match statistics show that it actually did affect the Belarusian, making her more aggressive in the match. She hit significantly more winners and committed fewer unforced errors to book a place in the rematch of the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka enters Saturday’s match, having won 26 out of her last 27 Australian Open matches, while Rybakina has won 20 of her last 21 matches, showcasing their dominance on the hard courts. These two top players last met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the 2025 WTA Finals, where the Kazakh champion emerged victorious in straight sets.
