Aryna Sabalenka reveals her mom Yulia actually roasted her following her second Australian Open win, telling her that she should try to get some other Grand Slams because having two same trophies is kind of “boring.”
Sabalenka, who will be turning 26 in May, became a two-time Grand Slam champion following her 6-3 6-2 win in this year’s Australian Open final against Zheng Qinwen. 12 months earlier, Sabalenka’s first Grand Slam title also came at Melbourne Park after the Belarusian came back from a set down to beat Elena Rybakina in the 2023 Australian Open final.
When it comes to other Grand Slams, Sabalenka has had one final appearance – at last year’s US Open. In September, Sabalenka appeared to be cruising toward what would have been her second Grand Slam title at the time but then Coco Gauff created a big comeback to beat the Belarusian 2-6 6-3 6-2.
Sabalenka had two other US Open semifinal appearances – twice reached the Wimbledon semifinal – and she also made her first French Open semifinal last year. With that being said, Sabalenka has several times come close to winning a Grand Slam outside the Australian Open but it just hasn’t happened so far.
“My mom has them, and they are side by side, like she called them twins. She said, ‘Like we need to kind of play have like different types of them, like it looks boring when you have like just two of the same ones, like can you just work on the other slams?'” Sabalenka said.
“I’m like, ‘Mom, well, what is your request? You could have just appreciated these two; it wasn’t easy to get.'”
Aryna Sabalenka© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Sabalenka on the difference between her two Australian Open titles
After years of struggling to make a big Grand Slam breakthrough, Sabalenka got the major pressure off her back when she finally became a Grand Slam champion at the 2023 Australian Open. At this year’s Australian Open, Sabalenka faced different kind of pressure and emotions because this time she wasn’t just chasing her first Grand Slam win but she was seeking to defend her title at Melbourne Park.
“It was definitely different emotions, I would say. Last year, I was kind of like, It was everything — it was new for me. This year I was the defending champion, and I kind of knew what to expect, like what kind of emotions to expect in the last stages of the tournament,” Sabalenka explained.
At this year’s Australian Open, Sabalenka was pretty ruthless as she won all of her seven matches in straight sets. After successfully completing the Australian Open mission, the 25-year-old Belarusian took a week off to celebrate but then moved on from what happened in Australia.
“Probably a week. I don’t like to focus on goals I was able to achieve. I like to move on and start getting ready for the next ones,” Sabalenka revealed.
Aryna Sabalenka© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Sabalenka identifies a potential danger of competing at this year’s Olympics
In 2021, Sabalenka made her Olympic debut when she represented Belarus at the Tokyo Olympics. Although Sabalenka entered the Tokyo Olympics among the favorites for the title, her Olympic debut came to an end very early following a surprise loss to Donna Vekic in the second round.
This week, it was confirmed that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to enter tennis events at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, it was also highlighted that they would enter the Olympics as neutrals and that they would need to follow a strict set of rules and guidelines.
When asked about the Paris Olympics – which are scheduled to take place between July 26 – August 11 – Sabalenka confirmed she plans on playing there but also added she has certain concerns about how that will impact her body.
After the clay season ends in early June, the grass season then starts. Then shortly after Wimbledon and the grass season end in mid-July, the Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place and clay is the surface selected for this year’s Games.
“It’s a tough schedule and everything is super tight and super close. It’s just crazy, we like, go clay, grass, back on clay,” Sabalenka said.
“I don’t know if it’s safe for the body. I’m super happy to play Olympics and hopefully, physically, mentally, I’ll be ready to compete there.”
Aryna Sabalenka© Getty Images Sport – Leon Neal
But for now, Sabalenka’s focus remains on the ongoing WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, where she is the No. 2 seed and had a first-round bye.
After finishing as runner-up to Elena Rybakina in the 2023 Indian Wells final, Sabalenka will attempt to go one step further this year and win her first title in the desert.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login