“You have to show your level and you have to fight for it,” said World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka a few days back, in a post-match interview after clinching the Brisbane International title. The three-time Major winner beat Russia’s Polina Kudermetova to kickstart her new season on a high. And she’s carrying the winning momentum forward with a great beginning at the 2025 Australian Open down under. On Sunday, the defending champion overcame the challenge of Sloane Stephens by 6-3, 6-2, and moved into the second round. This year, Sabalenka is on a quest to clinch the Happy Slam trophy for a record third successive time!

Looking at the Belarusian’s dominance since last season, where she earned the top spot and grabbed two Slams, WTA legend Martina Navratilova has showered praises on her. In an episode of the Tennis Channel Live podcast, dated January 12, Martina Navratilova shared her thoughts on what’s changed in Sabalenka’s playing style lately, especially in terms of making on-court improvements. “I think she’s got all the bases covered now. She’s solved that with serving issue. We talked about that so many times, and she took ownership of that,” the Czech legend said.

“And since then, she’s done nothing but grown emotionally and mentally, as well as physically. She’s moving better. One thing she can improve is moving forward, finishing points at the net, but doesn’t really need to do anything, just kind of improve everything a little bit and keep that distance between herself and the rest of the field. She’s got the big guns in every way,” Navratilova added.

Before she began to dominate the WTA Tour in January 2023, with the Australian Open victory, Sabalenka was actually struggling with her on-court movement and body balance. Not to mention her inaccurate serving skills, as highlighted by Shane Liyanage. The latter is the founder of Data Driven Sports Analytics. Plus, he’s been a key member of Sabalenka’s core team for four years now.

Last year in December, Liyanage revealed how the 27-year-old went through major problems, in past seasons. “We saw that certain services, the ball toss from where she hit it, in terms of speed, was not optimal. We also had data showing that, under pressure situations, the whole service swing movement was even less optimal,” he said. However, her biomechanics trainer helped her “understand her own serve motion, also fixing some technical flaws.”

Continuing further, Liyanage mentioned that “there was a before and after. This year has been a blessing because she could work on other aspects of her tennis. In an Australian Open, Aryna made an average of 20 double faults and reached the fourth round. She would give her opponent 20 points and still win many matches.” It simply meant that “other parts of her game had improved.” And thus, 2024 turned out as “a blessing, she doesn’t win three Grand Slams if she doesn’t go through that.”

Meanwhile, the reigning AO queen is looking to focus on her campaign at the Melbourne Major. And to keep getting better at her performance. She made it clear while expressing her sentiments after clinching the first-round match on Sunday.

Aryna Sabalenka exudes confidence ahead of her second-round match in the Australian Open 2025

At the Rod Laver Arena, the World No.1 succeeded in conquering Sloane Stephens. The latter tried to pose a challenge but the Tiger proved to be a better player overall. Aryna Sabalenka committed 21 unforced errors, leading to her frustration throughout the contest. However, she compensated for that with 20 winners and 4 return winners as well. What eventually mattered was that she didn’t let her opponent pull off a huge upset.

In the post-match interview, the Belarusian revealed how crucial this win was. “I think it’s a big difference, comparing myself to even like three years ago,” she said. “In that moment I would get frustrated and probably would lose the first set. I’m not sure if I would be able to win the match. That’s what I remember. I’m really glad that I improved my mental toughness, let’s say. I’m able to stay focused no matter what the score, what the situation is,” she added. On a side note, Sunday’s victory was Sabalenka’s 15th consecutive singles win in the first Major of the season since 2023’s edition.

Additionally, she also revealed her strategy to deal with the pressure of expectations while stepping on the court every time. “I think the biggest lesson I learned last year is just not focusing on, defending titles or having the opportunity to put your name on the history, whatever. I think the key is just to keep focusing on yourself and trying your best and see what happens after the tournament,” said the defending AO champion.

After cruising into the round of 64, Sabalenka will now face Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Wednesday. Do you think she will continue her indomitable run and make it to her third straight final down under? Let us know in the comments below.