‘I Had To Step Back And Start Everything Over’: Aryna Sabalenka Opens Up On Ghosts Of Melbourne Three-Peat Disappointment | Sports News
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Sabalenka ended up short in her bid for an Australian Open three-peat in the final hurdle as Madison Keys upset the Belarussian, who went on to endure early exits at Qatar and Dubai. But the 26-year-old seemed to have found her groove in her 7-6,…Read More
Aryna Sabalenka. (X)
Belarussian tennis ace Aryna Sabalenka, who ended up short in her bid for an Australian Open three-peat in the final hurdle as Madison Keys put up an upset to stun the crowd favourite, recently revealed that her anguish following the defeat at Melbourne has begun to subside with time.
Sabalenka had to endure early exits in the following Qatar and Dubai Open, but seemed to have found her old groove in her 7-6, 6-3 win over McCartney Kessler at Indiana Wells on Saturday.
“I’d say that after the final in Australia, I was really heartbroken,” Sabalenka said.
“It was very difficult to recover after that one, and Middle East I was kind of like, in my thoughts, I was trying to understand,” she explained.
“I was always thinking about that match,” the Belarussian revealed.
“It was probably my mistake, but I think I had to go through it, I had to realise a couple of things,” the 26-year-old reflected on her route back to normalcy.
Sabaleka stated that she had to clear her head and start over, which has helped her find her mojo.
“I had to step back and start everything over again. Right now, I’m definitely feeling better and that final was in the past,” said the World No.1.
“Just good experience, great lesson, and hopefully it will never happen again,” she laughed.
The three-time Grand Slam champion said Indian Wells, where she finished runner-up in 2023, is the perfect place to reset.
Sabalenka also opined that the event in Indian Wells felt like the perfect place to catapult back to form and touched upon the psychological edge she feels she has while stomping around in California.
“Indian Wells feels like a Grand Slam,” she said.
“And back-to-back Indian Wells-Miami Open. I love this tournament. For me, it feels pretty big,” Sabalenka continued.
“Psychologically, I think it’s not that tough,” she added.
Sabalenka is slated to take on Italian Lucia Bronzetti in the third round of the WTA event on Monday.