Aryna Sabalenka, the WTA Tour’s newest Grand Slam champion, will take her newly received title to the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships this week, and the Belarusian is extra pushed than ever so as to add to her burgeoning trophy cupboard.
The big-hitting 24-year-old rallied to beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 in final month’s Australian Open last to assert her maiden Grand Slam crown after three earlier semi-final defeats on the majors.
“It means a lot. I believed in myself, but I was waiting for so long, working so hard, and couldn’t get it. I had tough losses in the semi-finals,” mentioned Sabalenka, who will return to the tour for the primary time since her Melbourne Park triumph.
“When I won … I was super happy. I couldn’t believe it in the beginning. Then for the next week, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I did it. Yes, it’s happened.’ I was having this conversation in my head that, ‘Wow. It’s so amazing.'”
“Now I have even more … I want more. ‘Motivation’ is the word. More motivation to work hard, to feel it again.”
Sabalenka mentioned her main win had “definitely changed” her mindset barely however she wouldn’t get complacent.
“I still have to prove every time on the court that I’m in the right place,” she added.
Adelaide champion Sabalenka, who’s unbeaten in 11 matches this yr, will meet Jill Teichmann or Linz champion Anastasia Potapova within the Dubai second spherical after being handed a bye however mentioned she was not too centered on the draw.
“I’m taking it step by step. Sometimes you look too far, then you lose the first match because you’re already thinking about your semi-final match,” Sabalenka mentioned.
“Each opponent is adamant. Tennis has improved lots. If you see within the draw a primary taking part in in opposition to a quantity 30, it does not say something. Anyone can beat anybody.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
