Winning the first Grand Slam title is always special, but to defend it the second time is a clear statement. And, the way Aryna Sabalenka has performed in this year’s Australian Open, shows us why she’s not a ‘one-slam wonder’ but a true force to reckon with in women’s tennis. She became only the fifth woman in this century to win the AO title without dropping a set.
Aryna Sabalenka recently joined the WTA Insider Podcast, where she revealed how tennis’ sad reality fueled her to hunt for her second Grand Slam title.
Aryna Sabalenka is looking forward to ‘keep winning’
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The 25-year-old Belarusian tennis beauty reflected on how she has now learned to embrace her vulnerability. Shedding light on the big difference between winning the first Grand Slam vs the second, Aryna Sabalenka discussed how she did not want to be defined as a single Grand Slam winner. “It’s very sad that people call one grand slam champions. That way it’s very sad to hear. And of course, I mean, it was in my head. I didn’t want to be one Grand Slam champion, one time Grand Slam champion.“
Sabalenka added, “I wanted to be I don’t know how many times, and it’s been very important for me, and I’m super happy that I was able to win two grand slams. And I really hope that I can keep building my tennis keep getting better, and then hopefully keep winning.“
Now, after making sure that she will not end her career with just one Grand Slam title, what’s up next for the world number 2? Well, ‘The Tiger’ looks hungrier than ever before.
Sabalenka doesn’t want to stop here
Aryna Sabalenka is now looking forward to making her mark on the clay and grass courts as well. She is quite confident about her dominance at the French Open and Wimbledon this year. Sabalenka is ready to take on from she had left on her recent major event in Melbourne.
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She said, “I think last year I proved that I can play on each surface. I think those two semi-finals I got super emotional. I played against incredible players, and they just played an unbelievable level. But I felt like I got super emotional and I just let those semis go away.“
“But I definitely think that if I’m going to keep working like I’m working right now, and if we’re going to keep building what we are building right now, I’m definitely able to do the same on the clay and on the grass. So then I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully this year I’ll achieve the same goal,” Aryna Sabalenka.
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How do you rate Aryna Sabalenka’s performance at this year’s AO? Was it better than last year’s tournament? Share your thoughts in the comment box.
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