“I wanted to disappear!” Aryna Sabalenka talks through Laureus Award stage fright in Madrid

Aryna Sabalenka is rarely at a loss for words, but the world No. 1 admitted to feeling speechless when it came time to address an audience of sporting legends at the 2026 Laureus World Sport Awards earlier this week.

The reigning US Open champion was awarded the title of Sportswoman of the Year alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who won Sportsman of the Year in the first all-tennis shutout since Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka both won in 2021.

“I was just thinking how, right now and across every sport, there’s so many strong, powerful, inspiring women doing really amazing things,” Sabalenka told Prakash Amritraj in her visit to the Tennis Channel Desk at the Mutua Madrid Open. “I didn’t expect it, to be honest, and I’m super proud, super happy, super honored. Honestly, to see my name next to those previous winners, next to those legends, it’s like, what are you talking about? It was crazy.”

Sabalenka was fresh off winning a 13th straight match, having won the Sunshine Double at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open. The defending champion at the Caja Magica, she easily dealt with the pressure to defeat Peyton Stearns in two close sets but admitted to feeling much more overawed surrounded by the likes of Simone Biles earlier this week.

“That room was full of legends, full of hard-workers, full of inspiring people,” said Sabalenka. “I got super emotional just from watching all of their stories. I was in tears the whole time, and it was a very cool event to see and get inspired by the others. It was just like, wow, what a night. I was speechless.

“Did you see my speech?” she added with a laugh. “I was going there, thinking how I want to say that and that, but then I got on stage and I looked out into the crowd and I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s like, legends!’ I thought they wouldn’t be watching me, like they would be chatting or something, but they were watching and listening. I forgot how to speak! I was like, ‘I don’t know what to say!’ I wanted to disappear straight after my speech. But it was me, totally me.”

Sabalenka was entirely herself on Thursday—both on court against Stearns rallying from break deficits in both sets to close out the American, 7-5, 6-3—and at the desk, where she admitted most of her Spanish vocabulary included curse words.

“Come on guys, I’m still dealing with English and you’re telling me to speak Spanish!” she joked. “One day I feel like I’m killing it with my English and another day it’s like bye-lingual. I’ll tell [my fiancé] Georgios, ‘Today it’s not working! Enjoy your free day from me! Nobody’s giving you a hard time!”

The top seed will next face No. 29 seed Jaqueline Cristian in the third round in Madrid.