Aryna Sabalenka: How the Belarusian turned her season from a near miss to a championship
Sabalenka began the year trying to become the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open titles since 1999, but lost to the talented Madison Keys. Then, during her loss to Gauff at the French Open, she lost control of her emotions on and off the court.
“You lose the final of the biggest tournament and you’re not thinking clearly,” she said.
“I had to sit down and reflect on everything and make sure people understood my point of view – that I was completely wrong.
“It was a tough lesson, but it helped me in a lot of ways.”
Sabalenka struggled with her emotions at Wimbledon, most memorably in the third round against local favorite Emma Raducanu. “Maybe earlier in my career I would have gone crazy and lost that set,” she later said.
“I was like, ‘Don’t waste your energy – keep whatever you have left in’.”
After losing in the semifinals, Sabalenka felt she was not as “brave” as rival Amanda Anisimova and chose to take a break. There, Sabalenka reflected on why she let her emotions “get the better of me in those two finals.”
She made a decision – during the defense of the US Open, it was she, not her emotions, who decided her fate.
Sabalenka advanced in a draw to face Anisimova in the final, with the American aiming to overcome a brutal Wimbledon final loss. Considering Sabalenka is already feeling the pressure of ensuring she completes the year without a Grand Slam, this will be a huge test for her mental strength.
It can be said that this is Sabalenka’s most mature performance this season. Even when she missed a header in her bid for the title, she was greeted with a wry smile. Sabalenka was broken in that match but dominated the tiebreak to claim victory.
“I know [because of] The hard work we put in, I deserve a Grand Slam title this season,” Sabalenka added.
“Winning this trophy means I learned my lesson. I became a better player, I controlled my emotions better and I’m very happy.”
Missing out on the WTA Finals shows we still have a lot of work to do. But Sabalenka quickly put the loss behind her, which is a positive sign for her after a difficult year.
“After a while I felt really good. The bad thing about the season [is] I lost most of the most important finals I’ve ever been in,” she added.
“So I thought I would sit in the Maldives and drink tequila and think, actually, so far, so good.
“I just have to get a little better and hopefully I can improve next season.”
