Aryna Sabalenka Ignites Subtle Sledging Against Young Australian Open Final Opponent With a Confident Message

Aryna Sabalenka is living her dream, isn’t she? The Belarusian tennis beauty is at the peak of her career, having had some amazing results over the past few months. The defending Australian Open champion has reached yet another Grand Slam final after defeating Coco Gauff. It was a big win for Sabalenka, who took the revenge of the US Open final loss against the same opponent. Subsequently, she has already started her preparations for the final match Down Under on Saturday.

Sabalenka is yet to lose a set in this tournament. Such has been her form that she breezed past Gauff in the last four. Let’s find out what Sabalenka had to say about the big match coming up.

Aryna Sabalenka is confident that the AO final is “just another match”

Sabalenka will face 21-year-old Chinese opponent, Qinwen Zheng, in the summit clash of the Australian Open. The latter defeated Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in the other semifinal match. Sabalenka already has one hand up in the summit clash as she delivered a confident message.

During the post-match press conference after her semifinal victory, Sabalenka was asked if she would have any advantage over Zheng, who is a first-time finalist. “I would say emotionally I’ll be, hmm, I don’t know, like, very ready to fight. Not going crazy. Because when you play first final you kind of like get emotional and rushing things sometimes. When you’re like third time in the finals, you’re, like, okay, it’s a final, it’s okay.”

Further, she went on to add, “It’s just another match, and you’re able to separate yourself from that thing. Just focus on your game. That’s it, actually.”

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Apart from this, Sabalenka is doing everything to defend her title Down Under. She is also following a bizarre superstitious routine for the Australian Open.

Sabalenka’s secret recipe for success

The Belarusian tennis star has been candid about her chances at the ongoing Australian Open. She is also very open about her preparations for this tournament. Aryna Sabalenka also revealed a bizarre practice that she follows, which involves scribbling on her physiotherapist’s head!

She did it before her first-round match against Ella Seidel once, explaining, “I did it before the first match. Now it’s a routine. Every time he’s not super happy that I’m going to do that. He’s like, ‘Okay, anything for the win.’ I’m like, Thank you.”

The women’s singles semifinal match between Sabalenka and Zheng will take place on Saturday. It will be their second meeting, with Sabalenka winning their first one comfortably.

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