“It’s too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health,” Aryna Sabalenka stated, ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. A shoulder injury halted Sabalenka’s Wimbledon championships campaign, and sadly, this issue continued in Paris as well, compelling the Belarusian to wait and make a comeback in Washington. When she regained her form, we saw her win in Cincinnati, and now she is in the final round of the US Open. Per Sabalenka, the reason for her success lies in one particular decision that served as a blessing in disguise for her!

In a complete Déjà vu of last year’s US Open final, Sabalenka has once again qualified for the final round in New York! This time instead of the then 19-year-old Coco Gauff, she will face Jessica Pegula, Gauff’s compatriot, against whom the Belarusian has a lead of 5-2. The World No. 2, had to battle past players like Emma Navarro (SF), the Olympic gold medalist, Qinwen Zheng (QF), and others to secure a spot. But it was a pebbly path for the Belarusian who had to take the bold move of skipping the Olympics, an event where she reached the second round in 2021 (Tokyo Olympics). 

In a post-match conference with the US Open, a reporter quizzed her about the reason behind her withdrawal, further asking, “now looking back, do you feel grateful that you did skip it because it allowed you to be prepared for this tournament?” Reiterating that her health issues and scheduling problems were the reason for her withdrawal, Sabalenka continued, “But my decision was based on the tough scheduling and you have to sacrifice something and I decided to sacrifice Olympics for the hard court season. I have no regrets on that decision.”

Hinting at how the Olympic gold medalist, Novak Djokovic, and silver medalist, Carlos Alcaraz, had early round exits in New York, Sabalenka further added, “It looks like it was the right one and I had a great time off, I did a lot of treatment a lot of rehab and all that stuff. And then I had little camp before the hard court season, and I was able to reset my mind and clean my thoughts and start everything from the beginning.”

The 2022 US Open winner, Alcaraz, had previously stated that he could not get over the Olympic loss and how it impacted him mentally in New York, keeping him from performing his best. For the defending champion Djokovic, it was the tough scheduling and lack of rest that contributed to his third-round loss. However, Sabalenka’s foresight has allowed her to dodge the bullet, leading her to feel “fresh”  by taking some time off during the Olympics!

Aryna Sabalenka opens up on her “little break” during the Paris Olympics

Following a quarterfinal loss at Roland Garros, Sabalenka headed to the Green Island for some fresh air. Although she appeared in Berlin later, her mid-match retirement due to her shoulder injury further troubled her. When the two-time Australian Open champion came back to Washington after skipping Wimbledon and the Olympics, it was her first match in 39 days! Before embarking on the journey that would eventually lead her to the semifinals, she had her perspective clear.

“I think at the end it was very important for me to take a little break. I had really tough, tough struggles starting from March. It didn’t stop. Like mentally, I feel more fresh and more ready to go. I feel it was really much needed, and I’ll be ready,” said the 26-year-old player whose ex-boyfriend passed away in March.

Moreover, Aryna Sabalenka, who fell short against Iga Swiatek in the finals of Madrid and Rome earlier this season, also qualified for the quarterfinals in Canada following her Citi Open run. Now, Sabalenka continues to thrive and her peers can’t help but wonder—did she just luck out, or was it a stroke of genius?