Aryna Sabalenka quit training session with male player after five minutes - 'I'm done'

has revealed that she walked away from a training session with after just five minutes. The reigning champion is the world's best female player, having raced away from Iga Swiatek at the top of the WTA rankings. She has been in impressive form this season, reaching the final and winning titles in Brisbane, Miami and Madrid.

Sabalenka's ball-hitting ability is second to none, helping her to cement her position at the top of the women's game. She was quizzed on her formidable power ahead of the Italian Open but insisted that being able to hit the ball hard was 'not the key' to success. She recalled a training session with Rublev, in which his serves were so powerful that she quit after five minutes.

Asked if she has ever played against somebody who can hit harder than her, Sabalenka replied: "I don't know. I mean, maybe when I was practicing with the guys. I practiced with Rublev, that was really intense. I was like: 'Okay, whatever, I'm done'.

"I was done in five minutes, so, yeah. But, no, sometimes power is not the key. You can hit really hard but not in the right target. I think the guys serve stronger, obviously."

Sabalenka is the favourite to win the upcoming French Open, having enjoyed a strong clay-court season until now. She will be hoping to maintain her impressive form in Rome, where she is projected to meet Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.

Even though she is streets ahead of her rivals at the moment, the Belarusian is still looking to improve her game and tighten her grip on top spot in the WTA rankings.

"Being an athlete it's always working on yourself, always getting better, always step back, look at your game and see what you have to improve, and go out there on the practice court and work for it," she explained.

"I've been working really hard and improving my game on bringing variety into my game. I think that's the biggest key in most of the matches right now. I'm super happy that we were able to improve my game in, honestly, everything.

"The movement, my touch game is much better right now. Kind of like trying to come to the net, I'm not sure if it's really successful so far, but I'm trying. I think it's always work on yourself and always looking for something to improve and get better at."