Imagine being on the world stage, where every move is scrutinized, and every loss feels like a public failure. In the high-stakes world of professional tennis, the pressure to perform is relentless. It’s a sport that demands not just physical prowess, but mental resilience—something that even the strongest can struggle with. In fact, the very mechanisms athletes use to shield themselves from stress can sometimes backfire, leading to even more distressing situations. Aryna Sabalenka recently opened up about a side of the sport that few see and it’s the emotional toll it takes off the court.

Sabalenka engaged in an interview with The Guardian as she gears up for the final grand slam of the year at the US Open. Fresh off her victory at the Cincinnati Masters, the Belarusian player is entering the tournament as one of the favorite title contenders. But ahead of the mega event, Sabalenka admitted to a strange tennis move, that affected her not just physically but also mentally. 

The 26-year-old’s ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov died by suicide earlier this year. While many believed that the two were dating during the unfortunate incident, Sabalenka eventually revealed that they had broken up long before the incident. However, she had claimed that her heart was broken after hearing the news. But while others would take a back seat and stay away from their professional endeavors, Sabalenka did just the opposite. 

“I thought I had to just keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my career life.” Sabalenka resorted to a similar attitude when her father passed away in 2019. She soon came back on the courts and claimed that her decision to return soon was the result of her dad’s desire, who wanted to see her as the No. 1 player. She tried to repeat the same gesture after the demise of the hockey player. Remember, the day after Koltsov’s death, Sabalenka practiced for the Miami Open and a few days later, she defeated Paula Badosa at the tournament. But the situation took an ugly turn this time.  

“But at the end I would say I was struggling a lot healthwise because I didn’t stop. It was really emotional and really stressful, and kind of damaged my mental health at that point.” This very well reflected in her game throughout the year. 

Sabalenka had a year full of turmoil especially revolving around her health. She suffered from poor health ahead of her endeavor in the Italian Open. She was sick for almost four days ahead of the tournament and could not even “get out of bed.” She further faced issues due to a stomach bug which kept her away from winning the title at Roland Garros. Adding to this, a shoulder injury forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. As the World No.2 looks back at her decisions, she wishes to have taken them wisely.

“Probably, looking back right now, I would say that a better decision would have been to step back, reset and recharge, and start everything over again…. At the end I paid for my decision.” However, the tennis star has evolved now and has realized her mistake. She is now motivated immensely ahead of the US Open.

Can Aryna Sabalenka overcome heartbreaks to win another slam this season?

Despite the difficulties that the Belarusian star faced this season, she was seen extremely poised in the recently concluded Cincinnati Masters. She did not drop a single set in the entire tournament on her road to title victory, as she took over some strong names like Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula. This victory seems to give an upper hand to the star player ahead of the US Open. 

Sabalenka’s current form is establishing herself as the title contender at Flushing Meadows. If she manages to overcome the challenges, this would be her first Grand Slam victory outside of the Australian Open, and Sabalenka is determined enough. Speaking in the same interview, she said that she has gained, “so much belief” that she can claim the US Open title. She also spoke about defeating Swiatek and said, “Beating Iga in two sets was crazy and something I’m really happy about.”

As the season unfolds, it would be interesting to see if Sabalenka can actually overcome the past traumas of the season to win another slam in her career.