Coming back from an injury is no easy deal for any athlete. Ask the likes of Roger Federer and Andy Murray, whose careers ended amid their injury struggles. Another top player who has had struggles with injuries in recent times is Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian tennis beauty pulled out of the recently-concluded Paris Olympic Games, with one of the reasons being her concerning health situation. While she suffered from stomach illness during the past few weeks, Sabalenka also pulled out of the Wimbledon Championships due to a shoulder injury. With memories from that injury setback fresh, the 2-time Grand Slam champion got terrified by the mere thought of those tough times.

Sabalenka is in Toronto where she is playing in the Canadian Open. Yesterday, she had a comfortable win over Yue Yuan of China in the round of 32. Sabalenka required no time in dispatching her Chinese opponent in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Subsequently, during the post-match press conference, she revealed that memories from her injury setback still haunt her. She said, “It’s a different experience, I hope not to go through it again in my career. It was very difficult to play the first tournament because you tend to be overprotective, trying not to overdo it, constantly protecting your shoulder, but that ultimately generates more tension.”

Sabalenka’s comeback tournament was the Citi Open in Washington last week where she reached the semifinal. However, the Belarusian star had to utilize her shoulder with caution as she had just recovered from the shoulder injury. Sabalenka went on to add, “In Washington, I was in a lot of pain, but here we did a lot of mobility stretches. I am spending a lot of extra time on mobility, additional stretches, and some extra treatment.”

Sabalenka is taking baby steps to get her season back on track. After her win yesterday, she outlined her plan for the remainder of the year.

Aryna Sabalenka: “I’m better without goals”

Going into the Canadian Open, Sabalenka is ranked third on the WTA Finals leaderboard, trailing Iga Swiatek by over 2800 points. Last year, she was going neck-to-neck with her in this regard and even achieved the top spot after making it to the US Open final. However, Sabalenka has been hit by injuries this season and aims to set small goals.

On this front, she said, “I’m better without goals. Compared to the last year, it’s a completely different situation, I would say. I mean, even ranking-wise, and last Grand Slam I wasn’t able to play — it’s different things I’m working through. I’m good with the small goals. And the big goals, I think everyone has the same goals, like it’s so obvious, we all have the big goals. But I think the key is to focus on the small goals, small steps.”

The Belarusian star will face Katie Boulter in the pre-quarterfinals later today. Can she rise from her recent injury setback and win the title in Toronto? Let us know your views in the comments below.