'Would be a hindrance': Novak Djokovic teases Aryna Sabalenka during pre-Wimbledon training session

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka started their preparations for Wimbledon 2025. The second Grand Slam of the year will begin on June 30 in London. To prepare for the competition, Djokovic and Sabalenka featured in a practice session.

A post on social media claimed that Djokovic, in a funny way, ended up calling Sabalenka’s grunt a ‘hindrance on the ATP tour’. That comment forced Sabalenka to question their friendship. "That [grunt] would be a hindrance on the ATP Tour,” said Djokovic. "I thought we were friends?,” was the response of Sabalenka in a funny way.

Both Djokovic and Sabalenka will be amongst the favourites to go all the way in their respective categories. Djokovic has a fabulous record while playing in the competition, having lifted the title seven times, which is the joint second-most in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era, only behind Roger Federer, who has lifted the title eight times.

In the last two years, Djokovic has finished the competition as a runner-up, losing both times to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. In 2024, he lost in straight sets with scores of 6-2, 6-2, and 7-6. On the other hand, Sabalenka does not have an excellent record at Wimbledon, as it is the only Grand Slam where she has never played in the final.

Her best outing was reaching the semifinals stage on two occasions, in 2021 and 2023. On both occasions, she ended up on the losing side, first to the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova and then against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. Last year, Sabalenka was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon because of a shoulder injury. "I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not cooperating," she said as quoted by BBC in a report published on July 01, 2024. "I pushed myself to the limit in practice today to try my best, but my team explained that playing would only make things much worse."