Aryna Sabalenka has never shied away from teasing what life after tennis might look like. Over the past year, the World No. 1 has dropped hints about retirement—even linking it to her dream of starting a family. But her latest suggestion adds a surprising twist, one that most of her fellow players would never consider.

Pickleball. The sport has become a lightning rod for debate in the tennis community. Critics like Andy Murray have ridiculed its trademark pop sound, while Aleksandar Kovacevic once dismissed it as a “dumbed-down version of tennis.” Many purists see it as a threat to tennis traditions. But Sabalenka? She doesn’t share that opinion.

 During a recent conversation with digital creator Ireland Horvat, the two-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she had tried pickleball before—though only for about five minutes. Would she ever consider turning pro after her tennis career ends? “Maybe for after my career,” she said. Her tone, however, carried a hint of hesitation masked by a smile. When Horvat pressed her to clarify if she was truly serious, Sabalenka offered an uncertain: “I don’t know.” But that’s when Hannah Blatt, a pro pickleball player, jumped into the conversation and offered to be Sabalenka’s partner. This made her comment, “We’re booking already!” One thing is clear: she doesn’t see the sport through the same critical lens as many of her peers, and then she revealed exactly how she feels about the pickleball craze.

When asked about the biggest difference between tennis and pickleball, Sabalenka explained: “I mean, there’s a lot of different stuff. I feel like pickleball, maybe, I don’t wanna offend anyone, but I feel like, maybe it’s a bit easier to learn. It’s a bit different environment, like you can just put like a small court in the middle of the Central Park, and put the music on, people having fun watching pickleball. And it’s also quite intense, you know, if you go for like a volley shot. That is like very intense. So, it’s a bit different. Definitely.”

As of now, pickleball is booming. Andre Agassi, Sam Querry, and John Isner are vocal ambassadors of the sport as they look to bridge the gap between tennis and pickleball. There are others who like the distinctive ‘pop’ of the plastic ball hitting the paddle. On top of that, with Major League Pickleball on the rise, the sport is attracting quite some investors as well. This has forced some tennis facilities to take to pickleball courts. 

As far as her retirement is concerned, she has hinted at it on multiple occasions. And pickleball career would definitely not be her only post-retirement plan.

Aryna Sabalenka weighs in on her retirement plans

Back in January, prior to showcasing her performance at the Melbourne Open, Aryna Sabalenka revealed her plans after imminent retirement. She’s currently 27 years old, and according to her, people retire during their 30s. Needless to say, Sabalenka isn’t ready to retire just yet. But when it comes to starting a family, she finds her tennis career to have a lower priority.

Sabalenka said, “I hope I’ll have family; I’ll have kids – I want to have kids. I don’t want to have my first kid at 35, you know. The way I see it, I really want to have a kid and then come back, and I want my kid to see how hard you should work in life to get things.” 

Of course, Sabalenka is currently focused on winning the 2025 US Open title. And her retirement is pretty far away if we consider her quitting at 30. But for now, we’ve got to commend her inclination towards a pickleball career. But will the rest of her fellow tennis stars support her in this decision?