Storm Hunter insists she did not want to think about Aryna Sabalenka’s serving woes before or during their 2022 Australian Open match and ultimately realized that she was absolutely right to treat the Belarusian with the biggest respect.
If you remember well, the current world No. 1 was battling major issues on her serve at the start of the 2022 season. After blasting 18 double faults against Kaja Juvan in Adelaide, the 26-year-old also double faulted 21 times a couple of days later versus Rebecca Peterson – she lost both matches.
Going into the 2022 Australian Open, Sabalenka looked a bit lost on the court as it was clear that she was doubting herself and low confidence.
Hunter recalls drawing Sabalenka at the Australian Open
“I don’t care whether she has yips or not – she’s No. 2 in the world. There was never a conversation in my team of like ‘oh, once she starts double faulting, you’re gonna get this.’ It was almost probably unprofessional or immature to think ‘oh she’s just going to keep serving like that’. Because she’s a superstar; we respected her, her game, and her serve. We couldn’t take that for granted,” Hunter told the Australian Open website.
Early in the match, Sabalenka sprayed a couple of double faults and dropped the opener before also falling down by an early break in the second set. But despite a notable lead, the world No. 192 never thought her win was sealed.
In the end, the world No. 1 showed great mental strength and came back to win 5-7 6-3 6-2 despite hitting 12 double faults during the match.
Storm Hunter and Aryna Sabalenka© YouTube screenshot
“She didn’t give anything away mentally. I looked down the other end, and it seemed she was as composed as she could be. She wasn’t breaking down like she was in Adelaide. I just felt like, she’s gonna find a way, she’s a competitor,” Hunter recalled.
Following her win, Sabalenka said she just “stopped thinking and started playing.” That year, the Belarusian exited the tournament in the round-of-16 after a loss to Kaia Kanepi.
Since then, the 26-year-old hasn’t lost a match in Melbourne after winning back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024.
But before those triumphs, Sabalenka hired a biomechanics coach to help her resolve her serving issues.
Tennis World USA