Aryna Sabalenka was branded ‘horrible’ by a French Journalist on coverage of the WTA Finals during an ad break.Journalist Matthieu Solier was overheard saying ‘look, look, look, she’s horrible’, as the 28-year-old tennis star was posing and blowing a kiss to the camera in a promotional video.Sabalenka has never won the WTA Finals in six appearances after losing in the final twiceGettySolier has been working as a tennis pundit for beIN Sports since April 2012, and used the French word ‘horrible’ when referring to her, which loosely translates to ‘horrible/hideous’.An account on X has shared a clip of the incident online and has flagged it to the French Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom).Florent Houzot, beIN Sports director of broadcast operations said: “I regret and strongly condemn the remarks made live on air this evening during the WTA Finals broadcast.“These comments do not reflect the values of beIN SPORTS. I reaffirm our commitment to treating all athletes and contributors on our broadcasts with respect.”The company previously suspended former France international Daniel Bravo for just under a month earlier this year after he made sexist remarks about Paris FC womens’ sporting director.He said ‘she is not very attentive’ and ‘I have the impression that she was talking about lingerie’, then corrected himself to say ‘clothes’.View Tweet: https://t.co/hKOz1wOwlAThe scandal would not be helpful for beIN Sports after they only acquired broadcasting rights in France for the ATP Tour the day prior.Currently, there has been no comment from Solier regarding his comments on Sabalenka. Additionally, the four-time Grand Slam winner has also not responded on the situation.During the evening, Sabalenka had a hopeful opening performance in the WTA Finals following a tight victory over Karolina Muchova.Sablenka is currently playing on the same court that she won her last title in MarchGettyHer closest rival and world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew on the night prior to the competition, making the Belarusian the favourite to win the season-ending title.Following the match, she spoke about the Wimbledon runner-up and said: “She’s such an incredible player. Always tough battles. I was just trying to stay calm and focus point by point. She can come back any time.“You have to be focused from beginning till the end. I’m super happy with the level I played. To get the first win, it’s really important. Great start.She later added: “That was a tough battle, always tough matches against her.“She’s such a high IQ player I have to say, and every time you have to be focused, you have to be ready for anything and you have to play smart. I’m super happy that I was able to start with the win.”Sabalenka has had difficult season and has not won a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022, and her last title came at the Miami Open in March where she completed the Sunshine Double.Aryna Sabalenka celebrates won her second Miami Open this yearGettyThe 28-year-old reached two major finals in 2026, but lost both the Australian Open and the US Open to Elena Rybakina.She is now set to face off with world No.3 Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday.