Is motherhood a career-ending chapter? Not anymore!  Belinda Bencic‘s recent triumph at the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi has changed the narrative. Before Bencic, Naomi Osaka made a strong comeback, eight months after her daughter Shai’s birth, and won her opening match against Tamara Korpatsch in 2024. Like her, Taylor Townsend made waves as a doubles Grand Slam winner at 2024 Wimbledon after welcoming her son in 2021. Now, Bencic has added her name to the bandwagon leaving Aryna Sabalenka in awe. Reflecting on Bencic’s incredible comeback, Sabalenka showered praises on the Swiss.

Aryna Sabalenka failed to defend her title at the recently finished Australian Open, as she lost to Madison Keys in a three-setter at the Rod Laver Arena on January 25. “This one was the toughest. I think, for a week, I was still thinking about that match,” said the Belarusian, talking about that loss. Sabalenka had the opportunity to equalize Martina Hingis’ record of winning the Australian Open thrice consecutively, but she couldn’t. 

However, she has now set that heartbreaking loss aside and has now geared up for the ongoing Middle Eastern Swing in Qatar. “Honestly, looking back and thinking about those two lost games (in the final set), I didn’t do anything wrong, she just played out of her mind, and it was her day, there’s nothing to regret. I think right now I’m fully recovered after that tough match,” Sabalenka added. 

But who is the World No. 1 taking inspiration from? Well, none other than Belinda Bencic.  Sabalenka, who awaits her first match in Doha against Ekaterina Alexandrova tomorrow, made a playful comment while reacting to Bencic’s latest win at Abu Dhabi. “That’s impressive, honestly (…) It gives us hope that probably, whenever we’re all going to go for babies, we have a chance to come back if we want to 😁,” Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka has locked horns with Bencic thrice so far and has won two of those three encounters. Their first clash took place in the 2018 Connecticut Open, where she defeated Bencic. But Bencic avenged that loss in the 2019 Dubai Duty-Free Championships as she got better of the Belarusian there in a three-setter. Sabalenka’s last match against Bencic was at the 2023 Australian Open, where she got one up against the Swiss again. Despite leading their head to head, Sabalenka acknowledged Bencic’s growth.

The Belarusian highlighted how Bencic’s progress was visible in her performance at the last month’s Australian Open. “That’s impressive, honestly. She just came back, I think Australian Open she had a great run (to the fourth round), and now she’s holding the trophy. It’s amazing, I’m super happy for her, she definitely deserved that,” she said.

Bencic’s victory has surely motivated Sabalenka, who is now looking to move on from her own setback in the Australian Open final.

Aryna Sabalenka revealed her participation in Qatar Open “as a preparation”

Aryna Sabalenka is all set to participate in the Middle East swing ahead of the Indian Wells and the Miami Open.”The schedule is actually pretty tough, especially if you make it to the last stage of the Australian Open, then you don’t have much time to recover and prepare yourself for these big events,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion.

Continuing further, she added, “I believe I’ll just take these two tournaments as a preparation for the Sunshine one, and I’ll try to build my tennis, and probably take my tennis to the next level in these two events.”

Sabalenka’s enthusiasm remains steadfast although she suffered a heartbreak in Melbourne. “It’s OK. I mean, I’m the one who knows that after tough losses, there are good wins. So I’ll keep working and make sure that next time, if I’ll be in this situation, I’ll play definitely better,” she remarked.

Sabalenka is hopeful about her prospects in the Qatar Open, as she returns to the tournament after 2022. In 2022, she made it to the quarterfinals in Qatar, before losing to her biggest rival Iga Swiatek. Now she returns to the WTA 1000 event with hope, aiming for another title. However, she isn’t alone!

Aryna Sabalenka’s sister Tonechka joined the Belarusian in Doha. She was seen taking notes on her laptop during her elder sister’s practice session. Reflecting on Tonechka’s presence, Sabalenka said, “Put your sister to work day. Oops, I mean ‘take’ 😂” 

Are you ready to witness Aryna Sabalenka’s on-court brilliance in Doha again? Share our thoughts in the comments below.