Aryna Sabalenka clarifies comments about not watching women's tennis in her free time

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is putting additional context into her comments about not watching women's tennis in her free time. When asked earlier in the week, she mentioned how she enjoyed watching men's tennis and found it "interesting." Her opinion was met with mixed reviews.

To clear things up for those she potentially offended, Sabalenka said that she did not mean to slight anyone or the competitiveness of women's tennis. Watching men's tennis is more for her entertainment and enjoyment.

Sabalenka added that she watches plenty of women's tennis videos to prepare for her matches; for this reason, men's tennis is a nice diversion. When she watches women's tennis, she views the matches with the mindset of taking notes on future opponents; whereas, men's tennis is a guilty pleasure watched purely for fun.

Sabalenka is finding her clay court form

Sabalenka is the defending women's champion at the Mutua Madrid Open. After a rough spring due to off-the-court personal issues with the suicide of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov and the emotional retirement of her best friend Paula Badosa during their competitive match in Stuttgart, it is great to see her smiling and performing at a high level on the court. She will turn 26 during the tournament's finals weekend, and the best birthday present would be her 15th career WTA singles title. She is known for her blistering shots on the hardcourts that earned her the Australian Open crown for two consecutive years, but she also has a powerful clay court game.

The 2023 French Open finalist is finding her clay court form in the weeks leading up to Roland Garros. With the Paris Olympics taking place at Roland Garros and Belarusians cleared to participate as neutral athletes, Sabalenka plans to play on Roland Garros twice this year, once in the French Open and once as an Olympian.

In the meantime, Sabalenka is preparing for the next round in Madrid with an unexpected opponent. She will face USA's Robin Montgomery on Sunday. Montgomery earned the biggest win of her career against Katie Boulter. She is a 19-year-old Washington, DC native ranked 183th. Watch Sabalenka and the rest of the WTA field at the Mutua Madrid Open live on the Tennis Channel.

Read more on Lob and Smash