Wimbledon 2025 has barely warmed up, and the chaos has already broken records. Eight top-10 seeds—four men and four women—have been ousted in just the first two days, marking the most ever at a Slam in the Open era. It’s also the first time in history that two of the top three women have crashed out in the opening round of a major. Thirteen male seeded players failed to reach the second round, tying the record set way back at the 2004 Australian Open under the current seeding format. To say this tournament has been a minefield would be an understatement. And if you’re World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka? You’re definitely watching your step.

Just a day ago, second seed Coco Gauff suffered a shock exit against Dayana Yastremska in the first round. This must have definitely woken up the top seed, Sabalenka, who was playing her second-round match today. Facing Czech player Marie Bouzkova, the Belarusian knew this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. But the Belarusian dug deep, fending off danger to secure a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win.

After the match, when asked about the flurry of early exits, including Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka took the safe route and answered, “It’s very sad to see so many top players lose in the first round,” she said. “As the time shows, you better focus on yourself and stay away from the results. Of course you’re gonna know the overall picture. But it’s better to take it one step at a time and do your best every time you’re out here competing. I’m trying to stay away. I hope it’s no upsets anymore in this tournament… if you know what I mean.” Considering the backlash she got for her comments after the French Open final, the World No.1 took the diplomatic route this time.

Aryna Sabalenka may be holding on to her Wimbledon dreams with a firm grip, but she’s no stranger to headline-making moments—on and off the court. A few weeks ago, after a tough loss to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, the WTA No. 1 had a press conference moment that turned more heads than a Centre Court rally.

“I think she won the match not because she played incredibly,” Sabalenka said bluntly. “Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls.”

Cue the collective gasp from the media. Things didn’t stay awkward for long. Sabalenka later apologized, and the two seemed to patch things up at Wimbledon, no less. Their peace treaty? A series of TikToks featuring synchronized lip-syncing and some surprisingly coordinated dance moves to Bob Sinclar’s Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now). Nothing says truce quite like vibing in matching fits on social media.

Now, Sabalenka’s back in the thick of another hot-button debate: Should women play five sets at Grand Slams?

Aryna Sabalenka “not ready” to play five sets

There’s no major push for a format change just yet, but the chatter tends to spike whenever the men put on a five-set showstopper, like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s marathon French Open final that stretched a full five-and-a-half hours.

Unbothered and candid as ever, Aryna Sabalenka didn’t hesitate to share her stance. “Probably physically, I’m one of the strongest ones, so maybe it would benefit me. But I think I’m not ready to play five sets,” she said after her two-set win in the first round at Wimbledon. “I think it’s too much on the woman’s body. I think we’re not ready for this amount of tennis. I think it would increase the amount of injuries. So I think this is not something I would consider.”

For now, Wimbledon’s sticking to its traditional three-set format in the women’s draw—and Sabalenka’s just fine with that. After all, in her only two appearances over the last four years, she’s reached the semifinals. This year, she’s eyeing a bigger breakthrough. Her next challenge? The winner of the showdown between Emma Raducanu and Markéta Vondroušová. Get all the action from the Championships live and uninterrupted on EssentiallySports.