Aryna Sabalenka takes New York: Practice with Djokovic, cocktails with Dobel

NEW YORK—Work hard, play harder—that’s the Aryna Sabalenka mantra as she storms into New York City ahead of her US Open title defense.

The world No. 1 couldn’t join the revamped mixed doubles draw after partner Grigor Dimitrov withdrew with injury, but her schedule is anything but empty.

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Sabalenka comes into the season’s final Grand Slam fresh off a much-needed reset. Since Wimbledon, she’s played just one event, spending the rest of the summer on vacation, regrouping mentally and locking in practice time. She returned with a quarterfinal run in Cincinnati before falling to No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina, 6-1, 6-4.

From there, it was straight to New York, where she let cameras tag along for an “off day” in the city.

“It’s always a fun time coming back to New York. I love playing here. It’s like a little home away from home,” Sabalenka says in the video, which was produced by UNINTERRUPTED and Hana Kuma—Naomi Osaka’s creative house and the same team behind Sabalenka’s new YouTube channel.

Her New York itinerary has been part training block, part urban adventure. She shouted out favorite spots like Golden Diner in Chinatown, Nougatine on Central Park West and Hamburger America. On social media, she shared dispatches from her off-court wanderings with her team—a stop at the Vessel, some boutique shopping, and a photo-op with a lineup of Hermes Birkins.

“In the past two or three years, I got a lot into fashion,” Sabalenka said. “I like to shop, and I think that’s also a problem! There’s a special charm in shopping on the streets in real life, not online.”

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The work side of her New York schedule is just as stacked. On Monday, she appeared in a video for new hydration sponsor Electrolit, and she’s set to celebrate their partnership with an appearance at FINI Pizza in Williamsburg later this week.

On Tuesday, she unveiled a flame-inspired, limited-edition Wilson Blade v9 racquet, custom-designed for her US Open run and aptly nicknamed “The Fighter”. That night, she was back at her longtime US Open home base, The St. Regis New York, to toast her Dobel Tequila partnership with a signature “Marg-Aryna” cocktail.

“No better way to kick off the US Open than with a Marg-Aryna in one hand and a Wii remote in the other at the St. Regis New York!” she shared on Instagram

By Wednesday, it was back to business. Sabalenka hit the practice courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Center, where she made a surprise cameo at Novak Djokovic’s session on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The two shared a hug before Sabalenka briefly played ball girl for the 25-time Grand Slam champion.

The women’s draw will be unveiled on Thursday, August 21, with first-round action starting on Monday.