The world of professional tennis isn’t just about powerful serves and nail-biting tiebreaks; sometimes, the real drama unfolds off the court. Following a tough loss to Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals, Aryna Sabalenka was caught letting her frustration get the better of her. In a moment of raw emotion, she was heard muttering a classic Russian expression to her team: “once a year even a stick shoots.”

For those not fluent in sassy Russian sayings, it’s a beautifully sarcastic way of calling someone’s achievement a fluke. It’s the tennis equivalent of saying a blind squirrel found a nut. Ouch. You could almost feel the sting of that comment from across the arena. It’s the kind of remark that makes you lean forward, grab your popcorn, and wait for the inevitable fallout. A rivalry was alrea

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