Aryna Sabalenka pulls out of US Open event after team-mate hospitalised

Aryna Sabalenka pulls out of US Open event after team-mate hospitalised Newspoint | 2025-08-14T18:39:07+08:00

Aryna Sabalenka has confirmed that she will not be playing mixed doubles at the US Open next month as she is staying 'loyal' to Grigor Dimitrov. The women's world No. 1 was set to join forces with the Bulgarian but has been forced to abandon those plans as he is currently sidelined through injury.

Sabalenka will head to Flushing Meadows as the reigning women's singles champion, and she looked set to take aim at completing a hat-trick of successes at the competition - having won the women's doubles title in 2019 with Elise Mertens.

However, she felt that there was never a right time to bid for glory on that front until the recent format changes - which includes shorter matches and the competition itself taking place prior to the singles draw.

But Sabalenka will now have to wait until 2026 to take aim at the mixed doubles as she has vowed not to compete this year as Dimitrov is injured. The 34-year-old was hospitalised at Wimbledon last month when he led Jannik Sinner by two sets to love in a gruelling clash.

The pectoral muscle issue is still causing Dimitrov problems and he has been forced to withdraw from competing at the US Open as a result, putting an end to his run of playing at 58 consecutive majors.

Sabalenka has been offered the chance to compete alongside other players, but he shut down that talk, saying: "Well there is a few guys who are asking, but, no, I don't think so." Pressed on why she won't opt for a new partner, the 27-year-old insisted that she wanted to stay 'loyal' to Dimitrov, who was the driving force behind the original plans.

The duo had teamed up previously at the 2022 World Tennis League exhibition tournament in Dubai, and although they tasted defeat that day, Dimitrov was keen to make amends at Flushing Meadows.

Speaking about how the plans were formed to tennis.com, Sabalenka explained: "He was texting me, non-stop, begging me to play," Sabalenka exclaimed with a laugh after advancing at the Berlin Tennis Open. "I was like, 'Man, I don't want to play.' But he was begging and I was like, 'Ok, you got it.'"