“I just finished watching his Netflix show and the next day, I’m meeting David Beckham”- Aryna Sabalenka on her "crazy" meeting with soccer legend

Aryna Sabalenka gleefully spoke about her fan moment with David Beckham, calling it "crazy" as she met the soccer legend a day after watching his Netflix show.

In the first match of the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, Sabalenka outperformed Maria Sakkari. With a score of 6-0, 6-1, the World No. 1 dominated the round-robin opener that lasted just one hour and 14 minutes. World No. 9 Sakkari entered the tournament last minute, replacing eighth-ranked Karolina Muchova, who withdrew due to a wrist injury.

Before this match, the Belarusian had a 6-3 head-to-head record against Sakkari. However, the Greek had Sabalenka's number with a perfect 2-0 record at the WTA Finals. The 25-year-old previously lost to Sakkari in the year-end championships in Guadalajara 2021 and Fort Worth 2022.

In an interview with Tennis Channel following her victory over Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka was asked about recently crossing paths with David Beckham in Miami. In response, she showered the 48-year-old with compliments, calling him "a nice guy."

Sabalenka highlighted the coincidence of watching the former English soccer player's Netflix show and running into him the next day.

“It was amazing. David is such a nice guy. It was really nice talking to him. It was quite funny. I literally just finished watching his Netflix show, & the next day, I’m meeting David Beckham. How crazy is that. I was telling him ‘I just finished watching your show. It was amazing’. It was a nice conversation with him”, she said.

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“If you’re in the top 10, it’s just the same”- Aryna Sabalenka on being World No. 1

Aryna Sabalenka in action in Cancun

Aryna Sabalenka sees little to no difference between being the WTA World No. 1 and No. 2.

In a press conference ahead of the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, the Belarusian shared her thoughts on being the top-ranked player, saying that it's merely a number game and doesn't grant you a free pass to the next round.

“Yeah, I mean, you're No. 1, you're No. 2. If you're in the top 10, it's just the same. You're a top-10 player. I think ranking, it's just ranking, you know? It's not like I go on court right now and everyone will be, Okay, I'm not playing, you're No. 1, good luck in the next round," Sabalenka said.

The Belarusian added that she needed to further step up her game as the top-ranked player.

“It's not changing anything. I still need to work hard. I still need to bring my best tennis on court. I think I even need to work more because right now, I feel like I'm a target for everyone. It's not changing anything. I'm still working hard, trying to improve”, she added.

This week is crucial for Sabalenka. Having finished runner-up in the WTA Finals last year, she could become the first player since Serena Williams (in 2013 and 2014) to reach consecutive finals at the year-end championships.