Tennis Star Aryna Sabalenka Shows Of Soccer Skills, Smokes Photographer In The Head

Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka decided to show that she knows her way around the game of soccer too, only her exhibition kick from point blanks went awry and probably left one poor photographer on the hunt for an icepack.

Sabalenka is the No. 1 ranked player in the world and she is in Riyadh for the WTA Finals. So, while she was there, she found her way onto a soccer pitch where she took a go at drilling a ball through some holes in a board placed in front of the net from close range.

Fellow tennis pro, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur posted a video of the result, and, well… it didn't go well.

Fortunately, that photographer seemed to be okay, but man, you couldn't pay enough to crunch next to a soccer net with a Canon in front of my face while someone tried to score.

I wouldn't volunteer to do that if it was the Pelé doing the kicking. I just don't trust soccer balls as far as accuracy goes. 

I mean, I watch soccer for a couple of weeks every few years, and in that time I've seen the best players in the world — some of whom appeared to have all the time in the world — unload a kick, and you've got no idea if that ball is going to dribble across the goal line, sneak under the crossbar, or drill some plastered soccer hooligan in the noggin.

This is a reminder that sports photographers put their bodies on the line to get the shot. Even when it's not even a shot anyone is even dying to see, 

Is Sabalenka taking a for-funsies kick? I mean, it's cool but I wouldn't put my body on the line for that photo like I would for a photo of a football player diving into the end zone or the Phillie Phanatic shooting his hot dog cannon into the crowd.

But they're still out there prepared to take a ball to the dome or worse yet…

It's not for the faint of heart.

Now, someone go get that poor woman a bag of frozen peas…