Last year at the French Open, the ‘stairway dance’ battle between Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka became pure tennis theater. After Djokovic cheekily copied her celebration, Sabalenka answered by dancing down the stairs herself and daring him to keep up. Now, with Paris roaring once again, the Belarusian top seed has reignited their unforgettable dance-off rivalry with the perfect playful response.

Aryna Sabalenka recovered strongly from an early stumble to book her place in the second round of the French Open. The top seed defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 after overcoming a shaky opening phase of the match.

Yet the moment fans truly celebrated arrived after the contest had already ended. Walking down the stairs from Court Philippe-Chatrier, Sabalenka suddenly turned toward the camera and reignited one of tennis’ most entertaining rivalries.

The world No. 1 first removed her bags from her shoulders before smiling directly at the camera. Then came her playful response aimed at Novak Djokovic. “Ok, Novak, how about that?” Sabalenka said while dancing down the famous Roland Garros staircase as tournament cameras captured every second of the moment.

For Aryna, the celebration was the perfect answer to Djokovic’s earlier challenge. Following his first-round victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the Serbian star had posted his own dance celebration from the same staircase.

Djokovic intentionally recreated the exact same dance move that became viral during last year’s tournament. He even made sure to send a direct message toward Sabalenka through socials afterward.

“Check this out!!” Djokovic said while dancing on the stairs. “You can’t beat that, Aryna. I challenge you.”

Much of the credit for keeping the fun alive also belongs to Novak himself. The Serbian has regularly embraced playful celebrations and dance routines both on and off the tennis court over recent seasons.

One memorable example came during last year’s US Open when the Serbian performed an impromptu dance routine after defeating Taylor Fritz to reach the semifinals on September 2, which also happened to be his daughter Tara’s birthday.

The celebration was inspired by the hit Netflix movie ‘KPop Demon Hunters’. Djokovic copied choreography from “Soda Pop,” a song performed by one of the movie’s fictional groups known as the Saja Boys.

Now, as the dance rivalry between Sabalenka and Djokovic continues entertaining fans once again in the French capital, the Belarusian shifts her focus back toward tennis. Having reached the second round of the French Open, Sabalenka now continues her campaign while defending the finalist ranking points she earned at the French Open last year.

Aryna Sabalenka survives tricky Roland Garros opener to advance in Paris

The Belarusian may have won in straight sets at the opening rounds, but the match proved far tougher than the final scoreline suggested. Bouzas Maneiro pushed the top seed through several difficult moments with fearless and inspired tennis.

Sabalenka began the contest in a dominant fashion and immediately overwhelmed her opponent with aggressive shot-making. She stormed into a commanding 4-0 lead while producing some nearly flawless tennis from the baseline.

Her power and consistency continued as she moved ahead 5-1 in the opening set. At that stage, it appeared the match was rapidly slipping away from the Spanish ace.

However, the 50th-ranked ace suddenly changed the momentum completely. The Spaniard fought back brilliantly, winning three consecutive games and dragging the set back onto serve while briefly leaving Sabalenka under pressure.

For a short period, the Parisian crowd sensed a possible comeback building on court. Yet just as Bouzas Maneiro threatened to fully shift the match, a costly double fault undid much of her hard work.

Sabalenka immediately took advantage of the opening and broke serve again to secure the first set. The second set followed a very similar pattern. Sabalenka once again attacked aggressively on return and quickly raced into a dominant 5-0 lead with her trademark power tennis, taking control of rallies.

Still, Bouzas Maneiro refused to completely disappear from the contest. The Spaniard produced another small resurgence by breaking serve back and briefly threatening to recreate her earlier comeback attempt from the opening set.

And following the win, Sabalenka reflected on the pressure that comes with competing as the world No. 1. “I think we all feel pressure, that is just part of our lives, so I have just learned to ignore it,” Sabalenka said. “I am still trying to learn what is perfect for me. I enjoy if [the conditions are] cold and slow, hot and quick. I try to enjoy the game and do my best. Let’s hope this is the perfect condition for me, and it’s going to help me.”

Now through to the second round in Paris, Sabalenka will next face either Linda Fruhvirtova or Elsa Jacquemot at the French Open. Fans will now eagerly watch whether the Belarusian can finally dig deep in Paris and capture the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, still missing from her collection.