Aryna Sabalenka secured her seat among the last four in the WTA Finals. Last night, the Belarusian powered past Coco Gauff to seal her spot in the tournament’s last four in Riyadh. But now, as it appears, the champion is already planning her days ahead of the WTA Finals. However, she also added how she wants to make it clear that she’s not looking to bump into a court full of familiar faces while on vacation. But why?

After beating Gauff, Sabalenka joined Tennis.com for a candid conversation. And while being asked about whether she is already waiting to unleash the ‘travel baby’ inside her post the season, she immediately replied, “It’s already planned. Tickets, actually, I think my boyfriend already bought tickets.” But also trying to focus on the present and her upcoming matches, she said, “But I’m trying not to think about that, you know, a bit too early. Like, still have, hopefully, a couple matches to go.”

She also shared how she is planning to tick off a new destination from her bucket list. Sabalenka shared, “Yeah, I’ve never been to Maldives”. Then she also added how she wants to make sure that she does not end up on an island with a lot of tennis players.

Explaining her thoughts, she hilariously added, “I’m actually asking around, you know, like, ‘Where are you going, guys?’ So, yeah, I’m hoping that we’re not gonna, like, can you imagine like, if you land and there’s, like, bunch of tennis players!” She clearly stated, “Come on, guys. I will leave! I love the atmosphere. But you know, like, for the offseason, I prefer not to be around tennis players!” But will her wishes of not bumping into her rivals on the beach truly come true?

Will Aryna Sabalenka really find peace in Maldives or more tennis company?

Now, as it appears, the Maldives seemingly looks like a hot choice for Aryna Sabalenka. Back in 2023, after finishing off as the WTA World No. 1 that year, she flew off for a Moana-like vacation in the heart of the Maldives. But that’s not where the list ends. 

Marketa Vondrousova, Donna Vekic, and Liudmila Samsonova all chose the Maldives to spend their vacation that year. And this really makes it doubtful whether Sabalenka would truly be able to run away from the familiar on-court faces in the South Asian island.

Vekic, who seemingly loves visiting the Maldives for a quick, sleek break, added back in 2022, “I know everyone goes there, but for me, it’s the only place after a long season where I can completely switch off and rest really well.”

As such, it has become somewhat of a tradition to set sail for the Maldives after a major tournament.“I’ve been waiting and worked hard for this”, wrote Swiatek after she stepped on the beach after a hard-earned maiden victory at the WTA Finals in Cancun, in 2023. Now that Sabalenka has already reached the semis and has already planned to set foot on the Maldivian sand post the WTA Finals, she would definitely look forward to sealing the final win in Riyadh and repeating the 2023 ritual of Swiatek.