Jannik Sinner’s girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya finds new bonds around the court. The Russian WTA star turned an old opponent into a buddy on the Berlin grass. As she moves forward to the quarterfinals in the Grass Court Championships, Kalinskaya and Ons Jabeur’s smiling chatter has amused the fraternity as Kalinskaya is set to face Jabeur’s ‘BFF’.
Anna Kalinskaya took to her official Instagram story to share a tennis fan page’s story of her talking to the Tunisian WTA star Ons Jabeur during a practice session in Steffi Graf Stadion. “Girls talk”- captioned the Russian as the two smiled and chatted away. Jabeur is prepping up to play her quarterfinals of the tour against Coco Gauff, whereas Jannik Sinner’s girlfriend, Anna Kalinskaya, is all set to play in the quarterfinals against the reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. .
Earlier this year, Badosa started a hilarious banter with her ‘soulmate’ Sabalenka after calling her doubles partner Ons Jabeur her “best friend” in a press conference. Badosa then had to drop an “I love both” comment to assure Sabalenka that she is still on Badosa’s favorite list but with Jabeur. Although the two feigned animosity for Badosa, they ended up becoming friends as well.
The minister of happiness seemingly wants a big social circle on the Tour and is targeting everyone. Regardless of the players being her possible opponents, Jabeur wants to be friends with everyone. Her bond with Sabalenka was seen recently when Jabeur was pulling her leg in a challenge where several WTA players had to pronounce the names of German cities. Soon, we might see a similar interaction between her and Kalinskaya.
While Jabeur always had the upper hand over Kalinskaya on the court, she always presented her humble self when speaking about her Russian opponent. In fact, Jabeur’s view of Kalinskaya was very thoughtful after her quarterfinal win in the Charleston Open last year.
Ons Jabeur wished Kalinskaya a “speedy recovery” after the latter’s sudden retirement from the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open last year
With Jabeur leading 6-0, 4-1, Kalinskaya had to retire from the Charleston Open quarterfinals due to an illness. During the post-match on-court interview, the interviewer asked Jabeur about her feelings about reaching the semifinals with the help of a withdrawal. Polite Jabeur expressed a humble thought as she began her statement with, “I wish Anna a speedy recovery.”
She not only showcased a grounded personality but inspired many with an attitude of professional relationship beyond victory or losses. That is why her newly blossomed friendship with Kalinskaya surprises no one.
The moment between the two shows how tennis brings people closer expressing a sense of team spirit and love among the athletes. Should the two keep winning, they will play each other in the finals. Their possible bout will be one between new friends, and their reaction to victory or loss will show how their bond has progressed.