Aryna Sabalenka’s wayward soccer kick plunks photographer in funny WTA Finals moment
All was well—but “our world number one is doing serious damages in Riyadh,” joked Ons Jabeur.
The opponents tasked with beating her over the next week in Saudi Arabia might disagree, but one WTA Finals photographer is no doubt happy that Aryna Sabalenka chose to play tennis after she took an unintentional shot to the head from the world No. 1 on the soccer field.
Joining Ons Jabeur for a visit with youth soccer players in Riyadh on Wednesday, Sabalenka happily chatted with the young girls as a part of a tour of one of the proposed venues for the 2034 World Cup. But when she decided to show off her fleet feet by trying to take a penalty kick, disaster struck: Her soft strike veered right of its target, and instead of sailing through one of the holes she was aiming for, hit the shutterbug, who was kneeling to document the meet-and-greet, on her head.
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Sabalenka quickly raced over to apologize to the woman, who wasn’t hurt and took the moment in stride. The Tunisian also checked in on the photographer’s well-being, joking with her and Sabalenka that “she didn’t have insurance.”
The two-time WTA Finals participant and Sabalenka’s “bestie” later posted video of the clip with a humorous caption: “Our world number one is doing serious damages in Riyadh.” (The photographer herself, Katelyn Mulcahy, later popped into Jabeur’s Instagram comments to reassure fans that she was fine, and has insurance!)