“I just like the style of her game, it was like mine on the court,” Aryna Sabalenka once admitted, while talking about Serena Williams. The Belarusian star grew up watching Serena excel on the court. Eventually, the American legend became an inspiration for Sabalenka. As the World No. 1 now sets her sights on the upcoming WTA Finals, she is looking to replicate Serena’s career graph.

Over her illustrious career, Serena dominated the WTA circuit and won an astonishing 23 Grand Slam titles. And, during the course of the past couple of years, Iga Swiatek has shown similar domination, winning tournament after tournament. Sabalenka feels that the time has come for her to emulate the likes of Serena and Swiatek. Sabalenka even shares a similar playing style as Serena Williams. Both of them are famous for playing attacking games from the baseline along with strong serves.

During an interview ahead of the WTA Finals, Sabalenka said, “I always wanted to dominate the tour like Serena (Williams) did, like Iga was able to do for so long. And she’s still close, it’s all going to be decided after this tournament, so who knows? But it’s really inspiring and of course I want to dominate the tour like they did. But I’m trying to focus on myself, on improving myself, to make sure that I have all of the tools to dominate the tour as they did.”

Sabalenka has never hidden her favoritism for Serena Williams. Previously in an interview, she admitted to watching more of Williams than Maria Sharapova, saying, “Actually when I was growing up I was watching more Serena Williams’s matches and also Maria Sharapova. But my impression, because she won the four Grand Slams in one year, right? She was a great player and I would like to say like nobody could beat her and she was the toughest one.” 

Serena Williams achieved one of the longest winning streaks in the Open Era, winning 34 consecutive matches. Interestingly, Sabalenka and Williams also faced off each other once before at the Australian Open, with the American legend winning the encounter in three sets. The experience of playing Williams was a turning point for Sabalenka in her career, who took great learnings from that defeat to become the player that she is now.

Sabalenka is living her dream as the World Number 1. After winning one of the biggest titles of her career in New York, she revealed what motivates her to win more and more.

Aryna Sabalenka reminisces about her time at New York’s Fashion Week

Earlier this season, Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula to win the US Open title. It was her third major title, having previously won two Australian Open titles. However, winning the US Open title was a completely different experience altogether. Following her victory, she attended morning talk shows and New York’s Fashion Week finale.

Talking about it later, she admitted, “I really love my job, for the opportunities to meet great people and learn from the greatest people in the world. The media was different, and I was a little tight because of my English. I was hoping to not make a lot of mistakes and was afraid I wouldn’t make any sense! That experience actually motivates me to win many more times, so I can experience all of that again.”

After a glorious season, Sabalenka now has the opportunity to end the year as the best-ranked women’s singles player. A good performance at the WTA Finals in Riyadh will cement her position as the World Number 1. Will she be able to put on a show in Riyadh? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.