“Most of the time, I lose. Learning to lose is the hardest lesson there is,” said Aryna Sabalenka after losing to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final. That loss quite clearly dented Sabalenka’s confidence, as her form spiraled downward rapidly and drastically. The World number one, who dominated most parts of the last season, failed to make it to the quarterfinals in either of the two tournaments in the Middle East Swing. While Ekaterina Alexandrova sent her packing from the Round of 32 in Doha, Clara Tauson handed her the same treatment in Dubai, beating her in straight sets in the pre-quarters. As the Belarusian looks to find her rhythm in the Indian Wells, an American legend has endowed her with advice that she is looking to take full advantage of.

Sabalenka arrived in the Californian desert for the BNP Paribas Open on the back of a horrid Middle East swing, but she restored her fine form in Tennis Paradise after registering two consecutive straight-set victories en route to the final sixteen. Before she gets a chance to dig deep at the Masters 1000 event, the 26-year-old sat down for a post-match conversation with the Tennis Channel and laid bare her takeaways from Andre Agassi during the duo’s exhibition showcase at the MGM Rewards Slam, held at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

She shared the valuable insights she received from the 8-time Slam champion and also expressed her gratitude. “A lot of things. We actually had a great chat after the exhibition and I mean it’s obvious that he’s smart (chuckles). We had really great chat, he gave me his advice on tennis which actually working so, thank you Andre,” Sabalenka said.

The WTA ranking leader also praised Agassi’s prowess, explaining her amazement at his service skills despite the latter’s claims of not training regularly. “He’s such a nice guy and he is timing his tennis is still ready good, and I was really impressed by his timing and he was like, “Oh I am not training that much, I am not playing tennis” and then he serves, and his serve is better than mine,” she added.

For the unversed, the American icon returned to the court with his trademark charm in Las Vegas earlier this year. He doubled up with Sabalenka for a friendly contest against Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka and American Mardy Fish and outclassed the duo 10-8.

As for Sabalenka’s ongoing title hunt in Indian Wells, the World number 1 is quite content with her performance so far. She has earned full control of her game after suffering premature exits at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships, and with it, she has put disheartening emotions in the rearview.

Aryna Sabalenka expresses moving on from her Australian Open heartbreak

Top seed Sabalenka received a bye in the first round of the Indian Wells Masters. The Belarusian took to the court on Saturday, March 8, and recorded a nerving straight set over McCartney Kessler, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. After putting up an impressive service display – winning 86% of her first-serve points – Sabalenka later opened up about moving on from her Australian Open heartbreak.

She said, “I’d say that after the final in Australia, I was really heartbroken. 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. I was always thinking about that match. It was probably my mistake, but I think I had to go through it, I had to realise couple of things.”

“I had to step back and start everything over again. Right now, I’m definitely feeling better, and that final was in the past. Just good experience, great lesson, and hopefully it will never happen again,” Sabalenka added. The Belarusian player claimed her first Masters 1000 title in the 2018 iteration of the Indian Wells and, to date, remains unbeaten in the opening round since the tournament’s inception in 1989.

Next up, the 26-year-old will lock horns with Sonal Kartal for a place in the quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 12.