Rothenberg slams Sabalenka: "It's a really dangerous move"

During her lost semifinal against Pegula in Wuhan (2-6, 6-4, 7-6), Aryna Sabalenka came close to disqualification after violently throwing her racket. Following this incident, American journalist Ben Rothenberg is calling for severe sanctions.

The scene occurred at 5-5 in the third set. Sabalenka, under pressure against Jessica Pegula, lost her service game and then exploded. Her racket flew toward the bench; fortunately, no one was hit. The referee did not disqualify the world No. 1, to the regret of some observers.

Ben Rothenberg, a tennis journalist, was quick to react on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"It's a horrible move. They need to start taking serious measures against this kind of behavior. She was lucky it didn't end up like with Botic van de Zandschulp."

The journalist didn't just point the finger at Sabalenka: he is calling for an urgent reform of disciplinary rules on the professional tour.

"The tours must protect the people on the court. A simple warning is no longer enough."