Novak Djokovic told Aryna Sabalenka 'let's go on a date' as star opens up on chats

Aryna Sabalenka is back in action at the WTA Finals, rounding off her season at the year-end championships in Riyadh. The world No. 1 has played just one other tournament since defending her US Open title in September, but she's been keeping busy away from the court, going on a double date with Novak Djokovic and their partners.

The Serbian superstar has become something of a mentor to the four-time Major winner in recent months. And Sabalenka has now opened up on their off-court chats - and how their date came to be.

Djokovic has rewritten tennis history, lifting 24 Grand Slam trophies, spending 428 weeks at No. 1, and winning virtually every title possible. So it's no surprise that Sabalenka has turned to him for advice.

They've also been spending their downtime together, as Sabalenka and her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, went on a double date with Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, in Athens earlier this month.

The quartet posed for photos together on date night, and Sabalenka shared them to Instagram, writing: "Dream double date."

The world No. 1 has now revealed that Djokovic was the one who set up the date when they ran into each other while training in Athens.

"Hmmm... Actually we saw each other on the courts. We were practicing. I don't remember. We were just practicing together. We were at the same place. He was just like, Yeah, let's go for the date. That's how it happened. So Novak," she laughed.

The recent US Open champion also shared the most valuable advice she had received from Djokovic. "How to stay settled and how to look at everything as you're looking from the outside on the situation on the court, off the court," Sabalenka said.

"Just to, like, be able to sit back and look at everything. Kind of like it's not you looking, it's someone else looking at your situation. I think that's the best lesson that you could take from Novak."

Sabalenka will be hoping to apply that knowledge at the WTA Finals, where she is the top seed and has been drawn in a group with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini.

The Belarusian has never claimed the title at the season-ending championships. Her best showing came in 2022, when she finished runner-up to Caroline Garcia.