Aryna Sabalenka: How Belarusian turned season from near misses to titles
This year, Sabalenka began bidding to become the first woman since 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles but lost out to the great Madison Keys. Then, in her loss to Gauff at Roland Garros, she let her emotions run riot on and off the court.
“You lose the final of the biggest tournament and you’re not thinking clearly,” he said.
“I had to sit back and think things through and make sure people understood what I meant, which was that I was completely wrong.
“It was a tough lesson, but it helped me in so many different ways.”
Sabalenka struggled with her emotions at Wimbledon; The most impressive one was in the third round against the home team’s favorite Emma Raducanu. “Maybe early in my career I would have gone crazy and lost that set,” he said later.
“And I said, ‘Don’t waste your energy, keep everything you have left inside you.'”
Sabalenka chose to take time off following her semifinal loss, where she felt she was not as “brave” as her opponent, Amanda Anisimova. There, Sabalenka reflected on why she had let her “emotions control me in these two finals.”
He made a decision; During her US Open title defense, her fate would be determined by herself, not her emotions.
Sabalenka managed to make it through the draw and found herself facing Anisimova in the final; The American was aiming to overcome his brutal final defeat at Wimbledon. Considering the pressure Sabalenka felt to not finish the year without a Slam, this was a huge test of her mental strength.
This was arguably Sabalenka’s most mature performance of the season. Even a load he missed while serving for the championship was greeted with a sarcastic smile. Sabalenka was defeated in this match, but won with a dominant tiebreaker.
“I knew that [because of] Thanks to our hard work, I deserved the Grand Slam title this season,” added Sabalenka.
“Getting this cup means that I have learned a lesson. I have become a better player, I can control my emotions better and I am very happy.”
There is still work to be done as we missed out on the WTA Finals title. However, Sabalenka was able to quickly recover from the loss; This was a positive sign for him after a difficult year.
“After a short while I feel really great. The downside of this season is [is] “I lost most of the biggest finals I’ve ever been in,” he added.
“I think I’ll sip my tequila in the Maldives and sit back and think things are pretty good so far.
“I need to improve a little more and hopefully I’ll be better next season.”
