Sports and gambling always go hand in hand. Many fans develop an interest in sports because of gambling, which also often results in addiction. In fact, gambling falls under the dark side of sports.

The subconscious mind influences the gamblers or the bettors, which forces them to take abysmal decisions. Athletes often suffer the wrath of bettors despite not owing anything to them. Recently, Aryna Sabalenka revealed how the unwarranted hate from the gamblers affected her last year.

Aryna Sabalenka reacts to death threats

The bettors have often lashed out at the athletes on social media whenever their bet goes wrong. They reveal their nasty side by spreading hate, be it on the timeline or in the personal message section.

The world number 2 was not in the right place mentally last year. The Belarusian broke down while revealing the hate texts she received on Instagram. She said in the Netflix docu-series Break Point, “After the match, I opened Instagram and then the first thing that popped up is like, ‘You f***ing b***h, you’re gonna die’ or like, ‘You better die and I wish all your family will die with cancer’. And you see these messages and I cannot handle it anymore. This is way too much.”

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The unwarranted hate from the bettors amidst the Wimbledon ban made life really difficult for Sabalenka. She had too much on her plate at once, which resulted in a titleless 2022. However, the Belarusian has made a solid comeback in 2023.

Aryna Sabalenka’s strong comeback in 2023

The 2022 season was a rather forgettable one for the Belarusian. However, she was starting to find her form towards the end of the season. Making the semi-finals of the US Open must have been a confidence booster, but a win against Iga Swiatek at the World Tour Finals ensured that Sabalenka’s best level was coming back. Despite losing to Caroline Garcia in the final, she had plenty of positives from the end-season.

Sabalenka started 2023 on a roll and registered a 100% record in Australia. She followed up her WTA 500 title in Adelaide with her maiden slam in Melbourne to announce a defiant comeback. The world number 2 kept making deep runs and added another big title to her cabinet after a three-set victory over Iga Swiatek in Madrid.

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Sabalenka has a great opportunity to finish 2023 as the world number 1. She is currently occupying the top spot in the WTA race with 5620 points, 475 points above Iga Swiatek (5145), and 1214 points ahead of Elena Rybakina (4406).