‘I’m Done’- Aryna Sabalenka Harks Back at the Moment Where She Almost Thought of Quitting Tennis

Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is back on her favorite surface, and once again, there’s no stopping her. The Belarusian has been on fire, powering her way into her third consecutive Australian Open quarterfinals with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over the 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. With her sights firmly set on a hat trick in Melbourne, Sabalenka continues to prove why she’s one of the most dominant players in the game today. But did you know that not too long ago, she almost walked away from tennis?

It’s hard to imagine now, given her success, but the World No.1 was in the midst of a serve crisis in 2022 that nearly led to her retirement.

In Adelaide, she hit 18 double faults in her first match and an astonishing 21 in her second. Overwhelmed by frustration, she broke down in tears on the court and resorted to serving underarm. By the end of the season, she had totaled 428 double faults—151 more than any other player on the WTA Tour. It seemed like her career might be at a crossroads, but was Sabalenka ready to give up? Almost.!

In her post-match interview on Sunday, Sabalenka was reminded of how far she has come since 2022 and asked if she had ever considered quitting. To which she responded, “There was a point when I was like, ‘Okay, you know what, I’m done here. I think it’s time to go and do something else in life.’ And, you know, I think this is the moment when you have to push yourself to try one more time, because this is the moment where you can turn around things”

Instead of walking away, she decided to fight back. Sabalenka worked with a biomechanics expert to overhaul her serving technique, taking complete ownership of the issue. The results were transformative.

In 2024, Sabalenka was ranked third on the WTA Tour for total aces with 307, seventh in serving points won, with a 62.7% success rate, and seventh in service games won at 78.5%. The world No. 1 now has three Grand Slam titles to her name and is in Melbourne hunting for a fourth.

From a liability to a weapon, her serve is now one of her greatest strengths. But how long will she reign at the top?

Aryna Sabalenka opens up about her retirement plans

While Aryna Sabalenka’s now focused on making history in Melbourne, she also recently spoke about her future off the court. In a candid moment ahead of the tournament, she shared her thoughts on retirement, revealing that she’s getting closer to that point in her career. “Being a professional athlete, I’m kind of getting really close to my retirement. Can you believe that? 27. People retire at like 30.”

Though she’s not ready to leave the sport just yet, Sabalenka’s thoughts have already turned to family. She spoke about her desire to have children before she reaches 35, making it clear that family life is on her radar. “I hope I’ll have family; I’ll have kids – I want to have kids. I don’t want to have my first kid at 35, you know. The way I see it I really want to have a kid and then come back and I want my kid to see how hard you should work in life to get things. So, yeah, I don’t know,” Sabalenka said, giving fans a glimpse into her life beyond tennis.

For now, the 26-year-old is focused on the task at hand. She’s through to the Australian Open quarterfinals, where she will face Russia’s 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. If she can power through to win the title eventually, Sabalenka will have a shot at making history by matching Martina Hingis’s record of three Australian Open titles, a feat the Swiss legend accomplished in 1999.

As Sabalenka gears up for the next stage of her Australian Open campaign, one thing is clear: her journey from near-retirement to possible hat trick champion is a testament to her resilience and determination. Can she keep the momentum going and secure her third title in Melbourne?