As the sporting landscape grows more competitive with each passing day, heartbeats are sure to thump faster! As a result, staying calm is one of the qualities that becomes extremely important to succeed. Ask Aryna Sabalenka, who has already identified this and has gone on to become the top player in the women’s circuit. She had an incredible 2024 season, winning the Australian Open and the US Open, apart from a host of other big titles. However, she isn’t the only one in her team who has learned to stay calm during the matches.

Earlier today, Sabalenka and her team were involved in a question-and-answer session with fans on the former’s official Instagram handle. During that conversation, one of the fans asked Sabalenka’s trainer, “How do you stay so calm during Aryna’s matches?” Posing with a thumbs-up, Sabalenks’s trainer revealed a bizarre way to ease the nerves. He said, “Chamomile tea, Ashwagandha, A lot of alcohol.”

The calmness in Sabalenka’s team was very much visible during her matches this year. Even when things weren’t going the way of World Number 1, external motivation helped her come through tough situations. A glaring example of this was during the US Open this year. In the previous two editions, Sabalenka had lost close matches in the semifinal and final as nerves got the better of her. However, this time around, she kept her cool to emerge against Jessica Pegula in the summit clash and win the title.

During an interview after her win, Sabalenka revealed, “I improved so many things which give me more confidence that I can win the match no matter what. Probably this is what gives me that belief and that calmness on the court that, okay, no matter what, I’ll be able to fight and I’ll be able to find my way in this match.”

With Sabalenka attaining the much-needed quality, many experts feel that she is a strong favorite for the Australian Open next month. Former tennis pro, Andrea Petkovic was among them.

Andrea Petkovic picks Aryna Sabalenka as ‘overwhelming favorite’ for the Australian Open

Sabalenka will enter next month’s Australian Open as the defending champion, having won two consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, she is practicing hard during the off-season and has left no stone unturned to start her 2025 season on a positive note. As a result, Petkovic feels that Sabalenka is too good to not defend her title Down Under.

During an interview, she said, “I think [Aryna] Sabalenka is the overwhelming favorite just because I know how seriously she takes the off-season. I know she will put in all the work and I think she is the best hardcourt player we have. I think she has proven that not only this year but over the last few years. I think she has really come into herself on hard courts this year and I think she will be the favorite.”

Sabalenka will kick start her 2025 season at the Brisbane International, a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open. Can she defend her Grand Slam title Down Under? Let us know your views in the comments below.