
'Everybody Dance Now': Aryna Sabaleka, Coco Gauff Shake A Leg Ahead Of Wimbledon
Last Updated:
Sabalenka and Gauff were filmed grooving to Bob Sinclair's hit number 'Rock This Party' ahead of the grass court major at SW19.
Top-ranked women's tennis player Aryna Sabalenka and American ace Coco Gauff were seen in high spirits as the duo danced together on Friday ahead of the grass court grand slam event at Wimbledon.
Gauff pipped Sabalenka to the French Open 2025 crown at Roland Garros a couple of weeks earlier, but there seemed to be no bad blood between the competitiors as they moved in sync to the famous Bob Sinclair's hit number 'Rock This Party' ahead of the grass court major at SW19.
'TikTok dances always had a way of bringing people together," Gauff posted on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Aryna Sabalenka (@arynasabalenka)
Sabalenka is slated to open her Wimbledon campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine, while Gauff begins her chalenge for the SW19 crown against Dayana Yastremska.
The No. 1-ranked Sabalenka and the No. 2-ranked Gauff held a practice session together at Centre Court ahead of the year's third Grand Slam tournament, which begins on Monday.
Three weeks ago, Gauff got the better of Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match at the last major, the French Open.
Following the win, Sabalenka faced criticism for stating that Gauff won the match not because she played incredibly, but because I made all of those mistakes with easy balls. Later, however, Sabalenka described her comments as unprofessional and said she had written to Gauff to apologise.
The 27-year-old Belarussian, Sabalenka, is a three-time Grand Slam champion and was the runner-up both times Gauff, a 21-year-old American, won a major trophy, including at the 2023 U.S. Open. At Wimbledon this year, they could only meet each other in the final on July 12.
First Published:
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Hindu
4 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Wimbledon 2025: Gauff targets Channel Slam, 10 years after Serena Williams
Second seed Coco Gauff is chasing a rare Channel Slam at Wimbledon after lifting her maiden French Open title, the American said on Saturday, though she is keeping expectations in check as she adapts to the quick transition from clay to grass. The last woman to achieve the Channel Slam -- winning Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year -- was Serena Williams, who accomplished the feat in 2002 and again in 2015. The 21-year-old Gauff, who became the first American woman since Williams in 2015 to win at Roland Garros, is not putting too much pressure on herself though, having never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. Gauff played only in Berlin in the run-up to Wimbledon, where she was stunned by China's Wang Xinyu in the round of 16. READ | Wimbledon 2025: It's all cool with Coco, says Sabalenka, after French Open heartache 'I understand why it (a Channel Slam) hasn't been done that often. Except I guess Carlos (Alcaraz), he makes it look pretty easy. Novak (Djokovic), too. I didn't realise it was 10 years since Serena,' Gauff told reporters. 'I would love to do that. Also, I'm not going to put that much pressure on myself because I've been telling my team and people around me, this is all new territory for me. 'I'm trying to take it as I go. If I were to end up there, it would be great. If not, I'll try to come up with a better way to prepare for this tournament next year.' While Gauff's athleticism and baseline power have taken her deep on hard and clay courts, her game has yet to fully click on grass, where the low bounce and quick pace often disrupt players' rhythm and court coverage. Asked what she would focus on to strengthen her game on the surface, Gauff said, 'For sure movement. It's obviously a lot different than clay. Just keeping the ball lower.' 'And then serve, I want to be pretty aggressive with the serve here just because it's grass.' Gauff will face Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in her opening match on Tuesday.


Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Dart 'affected' by backlash to Boisson odour jibe
Jun 28, 2025 11:52 PM IST Britain's Harriet Dart admits she has been affected by the backlash to her jibe about French opponent Lois Boisson's personal hygiene. HT Image Dart asked the umpire to tell Boisson to put on deodorant, saying "she smells really bad" during their match in a tournament in Rouen in April. The 28-year-old, who lost the first round tie in straight sets, was forced to apologise after her taunt sparked a torrent of criticism on social media. Dart and Boisson have experienced contrasting form since that ugly incident. Boisson went on an unexpected run to the semi-finals of her home Grand Slam at the French Open in June. But Dart has won just once in her last seven matches and the world number 71 said the abuse had played a role in her slump. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't affect me a little bit," she told reporters at Wimbledon on Saturday. "I'm human but also we all make mistakes and I just tried to look forward. I've gone through some difficulties these weeks. "I don't always share what I go through but I'm just looking forward and preparing the best I can. "I've also played some really good players so it's been tough, I've had a change of coaching as well, so there's been a lot going on." Dart, given a Wimbledon wild card entry, is back in the spotlight as she prepares to face Hungary's Dalma Galfi in the first round at the All England Club on Monday. Boisson lost in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying after being denied a wild card despite her French Open heroics. Dart is keen to consign her comment about Boisson to the past and she grew frustrated when the topic was raised on Saturday. "I don't know why we're still talking about this, it's been months now," she said. "I feel like I answered a lot of the questions that were asked of me and that's it. I really just want to put it behind me." smg/nf This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.


The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
‘I really want to win': Confident Alcaraz targets rare Wimbledon three-peat
Carlos Alcaraz is chasing a slice of tennis immortality as he arrives at Wimbledon's pristine lawns, where he has the opportunity to join an illustrious but short list of men who have won the grasscourt Grand Slam three years in a row. The Spaniard could join an elite club of just four men -- Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic -- who have claimed three consecutive Wimbledon titles in the Open era. Yet the 22-year-old Alcaraz, radiating confidence that belies his youth, says the only thing on his mind is the trophy itself and not its legacy. 'I'm coming here thinking that I really want to win the title, I really want to lift the trophy, not thinking about how many players have won three Wimbledons in a row,' Alcaraz told reporters on Saturday. 'I just want to be ready, to prepare myself in the best way possible to start the tournament with a lot of confidence. Obviously I feel a lot of confidence right now,' he added with a smile. 'Two weeks could be really long in a Grand Slam but right now I'm not thinking about who I could join if I win three Wimbledons in a row.' Such confidence is not misplaced, after he cemented his status as the Prince of Clay when he won a 5-1/2 hour epic to beat Jannik Sinner in the French Open final earlier this month. The world number two is now seeking to extend his reign on the grasscourts as well, warming up for Wimbledon by winning the Queen's Club Championship for a second time. Once billed as a claycourt specialist as he climbed up the rankings, Alcaraz now speaks of grasscourts with the reverence of a true convert, saying that the 'most beautiful tennis that we can watch' is on grass. 'The style that the people bring to the court when they play on grass, I think is so beautiful. The sound of the ball, the movement is really tough -- but when you get it, it's like you're flying,' he said. Also read | Djokovic feels Wimbledon-2025 is his best chance of winning record-breaking 25th Grand Slam 'It's just pretty to me because I really want to hit slices, dropshots, go to the net all the time and play aggressively. I think on grass it's the style that you have to play, so that's what I like the most.' What truly sets Alcaraz apart from other players is his fearlessness in the face of adversity, evident from how he saved three championship points against Sinner to eventually lift a second straight title at Roland Garros. 'When I'm playing without thinking about anything else, but just playing or just thinking about the enjoyment, I think I get that freedom to play whatever I like -- I just enjoy,' he explained. 'When that happens, I always show my best tennis, my best level. So far I'm feeling the most freedom that I've played.'