The tennis community was shocked to hear about Aryna Sabalenka‘s withdrawal from the Wimbledon Championships. While everyone thought that she would use this time to heal her injuries, the pictures of her coming straight from the fun beaches gave fans a completely different image of the vacation. Now that she has finally decided to step back into the game, ‘The Tiger‘ revealed how the vacation’s agenda was not as it looked, therefore posing a tough challenge against Coco Gauff‘s US Open title defense.

From her post, many thought she was living a carefree life, enjoying a long break from tennis. However, the truth was quite different. Sabalenka was away from the court because of a rare shoulder injury that forced her to miss the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. This was a big blow for her as it hindered her momentum, which was built out of a remarkable start to the year, including her win at the Australian Open.

Despite the cheerful photos, Sabalenka made it clear that her time off was not just about relaxing. She spent most of her time in rehab and treatments to recover from her injury and looks go far in the Cincnnati Open. When Prakash Amritra touched upon the topic after her 6-3, 6-4 victory over Elisabetto Cocciaretto.

“I wouldn’t say so. Honestly, it was really tough being injured and not being able to compete at Wimbledon. I was so, so ready to go. But unfortunately, it is what it is. I did a lot of rehab, and even though it looks like I had vacation life, like almost half of the day, I was doing treatments and rehab, exercising, like a lot of stuff,” she said in an interview with the Tennis Channel.

As Sabalenka has already made her comeback, with a notable opening-round victory at the Cincinnati Masters, her rivalry against Gauff is all set to be revived once against. Gauff, who is gearing up to defend her US Open title, is apparently struggling with her form lately. The 20-year-old recently lost in the R32 of the Cincinnati Open to Yulia Putintseva. The loss was completely unexpected and ended her attempt to defend the title, which she earned back in 2023 with a massive victory over Karolina Muchova in the finals.

In an interview with the WTA Tour, Gauff admitted, “It was not the best match for me. I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2 in the third. I think most of the points she won were off my errors.” With Sabalenka working hard to regain her form and Gauff trying to find her rhythm, it is highly likely that Sabalenka would complete her revenge for the US Open 2o23 finals defeat. However, besides the battle for a grand slam win, their rivalry is also around the ranking points.

Coco Gauff’s Cincinnati loss to costs her the world no.2 spot

Gauff’s early exit at the Cincinnati Masters not only let the title slip from her hands but also presented a big shock. The WTA star, who has been holding the world no. 2 slot since June 2nd, 2024, experienced a massive 980-point loss as she was ousted in the first round. The Belarusian beauty, despite missing the Wimbledon Championships, has overtaken Gauff and her career-high spot. With Gauff’s early exit and Sabalenka’s dominant victory over Cocciaretto, she is now rank 2, with 7136 points, 393 ahead of Gauff.

‘The Tiger’ herself dropped a gesture about covering small steps on her journey ahead of the remaining season. “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,” she said.

The addition of this small goal would mean a lot for Sabalenka. As she continues her run at Cincinnati, it is not just a test but an opportunity for her to get herself ready for the bigger challenges ahead!