Aryna Sabalenka’s irritation finally surfaced after her second-round match at the US Open, where questions around her off-court commitments and focus brought a sharp response from the world No. 1.

The setting was a familiar one. Grand Slam tennis asks players to move through a relentless schedule of press obligations, including interviews after every match, media day appearances before the tournament and, for those who reach the final stages, repeated encounters with reporters over more than two weeks. Many players have long made clear they would rather not have to do it.

Sabalenka, however, has been especially sensitive to recent scrutiny. In the days before the US Open, she had taken part in several sponsor product launches in New York, and she did not react warmly to suggestions that her commitment to training had been called into question. She appeared to view one line of questioning as an unfair insinuation about partying before a major event.

“Are you guys like a joke? Party is fun. Like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? Like what kind of question is that? Like just because I posted like some activities with brands and you think that I’ve been fighting, not training.”

When the reporter tried to clarify the point, Sabalenka replied, “You literally said that. Next question. Oh, yeah. I wasn’t serious before that. Next question.”

Her frustration did not begin there. Earlier in the tournament, she was asked on Sky Sports whether criticism affects her, and she answered in blunt fashion. “Honestly, it took me a little while to shut down those noises. It’s always going to be people who support your choices, people who go against that, people who love you, who hate you. And I’m like, I’m so tired of those miserable haters.

“So I decided to stay really, you know, stay strong with myself and trust the process, trust myself, trust with my choices, with my taste, and whatever. And whoever loves me, they’re going to be there for me no matter what.

“Haters? Honestly, I don’t want to curse here right now, but they can go and have fun with their own lives

“Whatever people are saying on the internet, I heard they probably didn’t like it.”

The wider criticism intensified after she agreed to play Nick Kyrgios in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match last December. For now, though, Sabalenka appears determined to carry that edge with her in New York as she chases another US Open title.

The US Open has already delivered more than tennis, with the conversation at Flushing Meadows ranging from ticket prices to the growing presence of influencers around the event. Surge pricing for the biggest matches has drawn criticism, while umpires have also had to tell some “celebrities” to quiet down.

The wider schedule debate has also intensified. Carlos Alcaraz has become the latest leading player to question the demands of the calendar, saying he is likely to be more selective about the tournaments he enters after a wrist injury kept him out for four and a half months this year.

Against that backdrop, Mark Petchey has urged fans and pundits to step back and look at the bigger picture. Writing on social media, the former coach of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu said: “It’s always interesting stepping back and hearing the narrative that evolves from a tennis event. It’s nearly always the same.

Too many matches in a year. Too many late finishes. Too gruelling,” he added. “Too expensive. Too many influencers. Best-of-five vs best-of-3. Ad nauseam.”

But Petchey argued that the sport’s health is being overlooked.

“And yet in amongst the dysfunctional beauty of tennis as we know it is, it is exploding in popularity,” he said. “Yes, tennis has never had it better. The players, the tournament’s, the ratings.

“Everything on a steep upward trend. Something is clearly very right with the sport too. No business is perfect, no sport is run to everyone’s desire.

“There will never be utopia in tennis but it is the greatest annual full calendar global show in the world. Time to celebrate harder, the hardest sport in the world.”

Several figures from the sport responded in support. Brad Gilbert reacted with agreeable emojis, while Roger Rasheed added his view in the comments.

Rasheed, who worked with Lleyton Hewitt, Gael Monfils, and Grigor Dimitrov, said: “The too many matches is the one for me, only a very small minority could claim that and if you are playing lots, well you’re obviously having a bloody good year – wasn’t that the initial goal?”

The biggest events have been strong throughout 2026, with many sell outs across the year, especially at the Grand Slams. Still, with Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz both missing extended periods, that level of momentum may not be guaranteed forever.

Naomi Osaka moved into the third round of the US Open, but only after being pushed hard by Katerina Siniakova in a match shaped by serve problems.

The Japanese star twice held a set and a break lead, yet she could not close out the contest against the Czech player. Osaka was then broken three consecutive times and dropped the set 7-5 as her first serve repeatedly failed to land.

There was a reset after the second set, when Osaka took a toilet break, and the change was immediate. Her serve sharpened again in the decider and she powered through a 6-1 final set to secure her place in the next round.

Osaka’s uneven serving did more than threaten her own progress. It also prompted Tim Henman to revisit a broader question about tennis rules and whether changes could ease the burden on players who struggle on serve.

Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, alongside Gigi Salmon and Naomi Broady, Henman said: “You wonder, it’s another rule that we probably discuss, whether you get rid of the let serve when the serve clips the top of the net.

“And whether you should only have one opportunity of throwing the ball up. If you throw the ball up, you’ve got to hit it. Well, you just wonder whether it might actually take away some of the pain.

“You’ve only got one chance, so here it goes. I wouldn’t say that your not allowed a second serve, but if you throw the ball up, you’ve got to hit it. If you miss the first serve, then you’ve got the second serve.”

The discussion is not new. Brad Gilbert has previously called the current rule “ridiculous”, while Patrick Mouratoglou has argued that tighter serve rules would create a better flow to matches.

Speaking to Tennis.com in 2025, Mouratoglou said: “The high number of aces and serve winners is detrimental to tennis. We want more rallies and less of these quick points—boom, serve, winner, ace, missed return. An occasional ace is fine, but not too many.”

Even with prominent voices calling for change, there is still no sign of the sport’s authorities moving on service rules, including long-running debates over let calls and the second serve.