‘Weird Thing To Ask’ — Andy Roddick in Disbelief As Aryna Sabalenka Faces ‘Uncomfortable’ Request at French Open

The first women’s prime-time night session match at Roland-Garros in three years. Aryna Sabalenka beat Naomi Osaka in two straight sets. However, there was a bizarre post-match on-court interview, where veteran French player-turned-broadcaster Fabrice Santoro asked Aryna Sabalenka to dance with the Parisian crowd.

While Sabalenka playfully obliged, former pro Andy Roddick weighed in, sparking a broader conversation about how broadcasters handle post-match interviews with the sport’s biggest stars.

Andy Roddick Blasts Post-Match Interviewer For Putting Aryna Sabalenka on the Spot With Dance Request

In the fourth round on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Sabalenka secured a tight 7-5, 6-3 victory against a four-time Grand Slam champion.

At the customary interview, Santoro, a former player turned commentator, egged Sabalenka on to dance right there on the court. And he asked for music to be played. Sabalenka was not expecting that and seemed a bit hesitant, but she pulled off the move to the delight of the live crowd.

Many fans liked her dance, while some found it unnecessary. Roddick was far less amused by it. Speaking on his podcast “Served,” the American expressed his thoughts on the growing trend of interviewers asking professional athletes to perform parlor tricks rather than discussing their craft.

“I like him (Santoro), but saying, ‘Will you dance for us?’ is just such a weird thing to ask. I don’t like it. And then when she does it a little bit and it’s kind of over, to then ask her to moonwalk… I don’t know. Maybe people loved it, and I might be in the minority.

“I don’t know, man. Personally, I understand the personality side of these post-match interviews… but it’s just such a lose-lose situation,” Roddick explained. “Props to her for doing it, but I just thought it was weird. I think that’s such a strange thing to ask somebody to do in a professional setting.”

He also added that in this case, as Sabalenka agreed to dance, she was praised. But if she said ‘No, thank you,’ then she would have been called a ‘buzzkill.’

For more context, throughout the tournament, Djokovic and Sabalenka have been playfully one-upping each other’s post-match celebration dances. After his second-round win, Djokovic attempted to moonwalk and challenged the Belarusian to match him, and she responded with another dance move. After two rounds, Sabalenka officially ended the ‘competition” after Djokovic was knocked out of the tournament. However, the Belarusian likes to dance, as she does in her TikTok videos for fun.

KEEP READING: ‘That Was a Dumb Question’ – Naomi Osaka Opens Up About Rare French Open Spotlight After Loss to Aryna Sabalenka

Roddick also mentioned a similar, controversial incident from the 2015 Australian Open. On-court reporter Ian Cohen awkwardly asked 20-year-old Canadian rising star Eugenie Bouchard to “give us a twirl” to show off her pink outfit. The uncomfortable request sparked massive backlash and debates about sexism and the trivialization of female athletes in sports broadcasting. “You have limited time to interview the greats, and this is the content you ask for?” Roddick concluded. “I’d prefer something with a little bit more depth.”

Meanwhile, Sabalenka remains entirely focused on her quest for her fifth Grand Slam title. The world No. 1 now heads into the quarter-finals against Diana Shnaider as the heavy favorite to win the French Open.