Aryna Sabalenka is backtracking on her previous statement that she was going to be “boring” as the Belarusian admits not many things have changed when it comes to her on-court passion and energy.
In the past, the world No. 2 had some very difficult defeats on the biggest stage – most notably, she lost her first three Grand Slam semifinals and it was clear that the pressure and nerves were too much for her to handle in those matches. But when the 2023 season started, she impressively won Adelaide without a dropped set and also reached the Australian Open final without a lost set before creating a comeback win over Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 for her maiden Major title.
At the time, Sabalenka credited “becoming boring” for her newfound success.
“I think my calmness on the court. That’s pretty much it. I was just ready for everything. Whatever’s going to happen on court, I’m ready for that. I think this is the key. I wish I would have been like that a few years ago. Finally, I understand what everyone was looking for and asking for. I need to be a little bit boring on court. It’s still about a lot of positive emotions for me, but I’m trying to stay away from negative and just fight for every point,” the 26-year-old said during the 2023 Australian Open.
Aryna Sabalenka© China Open/Instagram – Fair Use
Sabalenka asked about that statement in Beijing
Since accomplishing her childhood dream of landing a Slam, the Belarusian has added two more Majors to her collection and has also been ranked at the world No. 1 spot. Currently, she is on a 15-match winning streak after winning Cincinnati, the US Open, and making the Beijing quarterfinal.
Amidst her big winning streak, a reporter reminded Sabalenka about the “boring” statement she made nearly two years ago and asked if that was something that was to credit for her recent success.
“Well, I think I was a little bit wrong when I said that. I think I’m not boring. I’m still able to bring this fighting spirit. I’m still very competing. I don’t know which word to use to explain. I’m not, like, flat. I still, like, going through some emotions which make me not that boring to watch. I don’t know (smiling). I mean, I’m happy with this win streak. I really hope I can just keep going and see how far I can get with this,” the three-time Grand Slam winner explained.
Aryna Sabalenka© YouTube screenshot
Sabalenka gets candid about what she went through before being where she is now
After failing multiple times to make a real Slam breakthrough, the current world No. 2 started struggling heavily during the 2022 season. Back then, she started dealing with technical but also mental issues on her serve, which was one of the biggest reasons why she was inconsistent.
But after reaching one of the lowest points of her career, the 26-year-old hired a biomechanics coach and it didn’t take long before she completely overturned her situation. Since the start of 2023, Sabalenka has won three of the last Slams that have taken place.
Also, her current winning streak of 15 wins in a row has tied her previous career-best. At the moment, everything seems to be perfect in the 26-year-old’s career.
“Well, I would say that it sounds so beautiful and, like, easy, the place where everyone wants to be. But I made so many sacrifices throughout my career. Even like this year was a lot of difficult, really difficult moments for me. I sacrificed a lot for these wins. I mean, that’s not easy to get to the point, like, where you’re able to win those big titles. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of patience, a lot of mental work, physical work. It’s not that easy,” Sabalenka explained.
“When you’re able to sacrifice a lot and you’re able to work hard and you’re able to get these wins, that’s the best feeling. You’re just living your best life. You’re excited to play your matches. You’re excited to face whatever fight you going to face. All those difficult situations on court are not that difficult for you anymore. You actually happy to face it, you happy to challenge yourself. You’re actually enjoying all those battles.”
Meanwhile, the top seed is set to battle against Karolina Muchova in the Beijing quarterfinal. Last year, the Belarusian stunningly dropped a 5-2 third-set lead against Muchova in the French Open semifinal before losing to the Czech again a few months later in Cincinnati.
After losing to the 2023 French Open runner-up twice in their last two meetings, there is no doubt that Sabalenka will be determined to get a revenge at the China Open.