Usually the atmosphere on the tennis court is charged with tension, but when the season is over and players unwind with exhibition matches, comes the time for some fun.  It happened recently in Madison Square Garden, New York, where Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka invited a fan to come on the court during their exhibition game for a few rallies on court. But what started out as a pleasant, in-court experience ended in a highly unexpected proposal.

A young fan, dressed head-to-toe in black, got the once-in-a-lifetime chance to step onto the court, facing off against Naomi Osaka. To everyone’s surprise, he managed to land a few shots, but taking on a top pro is no easy task. Even though Osaka was holding back, the fan was unable to keep up, eventually spraying a shot into the net. Next, he swapped sides to challenge Aryna Sabalenka.

The crowd’s cheers quickly turned to playful boos as he struggled against the powerhouse, unable to get a rally going even off of Sabalenka’s weakened serve. Sabalenka even offered up her racket to the fan, but no dice. After one more failed return, Osaka stepped in, playfully making him do pushups as punishment for the performance.

The fan, all smiles, cheerfully obliged and made the occasion a memory no one will soon forget. However, when the fan was interviewed on the question of the missed match points, he admitted it with a combination of embarrassment and humour.

“It’s pressure. I don’t know what’s going on. I lost the match point,” he admitted sheepishly. But in that fleeting moment, he seized the chance to declare his affection for Sabalenka, adding, “I’m sorry, Aryna. I still love you. You’re still my queen. I love you.” Moved by the moment and perhaps amused, Sabalenka let him keep her racket.

In the end, Aryna Sabalenka won her singles match against Osaka 6-4, 7-5, marking her second win over Osaka in two days.  Even though Sabalenka had a great time at the exhibition, her next challenge will be very different because her opponent will be a man rather than another woman.

Aryna Sabalenka’s biggest test yet

The current Women’s World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, will soon encounter one of the most unique obstacles of her professional life. On December 28 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, she will go head-to-head with Nick Kyrgios in an updated “battle of the sexes,” only the fourth of its kind in tennis history.

The tension is already high after Kyrgios stirred controversy on a podcast, claiming that women can’t return men’s serves. Sabalenka didn’t hold back, firing back that she will do her best to prove him wrong.

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Kyrgios hasn’t played much since returning from a wrist injury at the Australian Open, making him unpredictable. Sabalenka, meanwhile, has been in top form this season, winning four titles, including the US Open. The court will be slightly smaller on Sabalenka’s side, each player will only receive one serve per point, and the match will be best-of-three sets with a 10-point tie-breaker if necessary. These special rules have been implemented to make the match more exciting and fair.

Aryna Sabalenka will need to bring all of her skill, strategy, and concentration to the court as a result of these adjustments. This is a historic match in the history of tennis and not an exhibition. There have only been three matches between the sexes, all of which Jimmy Connors won, over Martina Navratilova in 1999 and over Bobby Riggs in 1973.

In Sabalenka’s case, this is an opportunity to show the world that the best women’s player can challenge anybody. History is on the line, and fans are watching, and she is preparing to engage in a face-off that will perhaps challenge her like never before.