Aryna Sabalenka: I used to think I was nobody without Grand Slam title

Aryna Sabalenka revealed in the past she used to think that she was “a nobody” without a Grand Slam title. 

Sabalenka, 24, defeated Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 to win her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

At the start of the 2023 season, Sabalenka is 11-0 after capturing back-to-back titles at the Adelaide International and Australian Open.

One of the biggest reasons behind Sabalenka’s early success in 2023 is her change in attitude and approach. 

“I always had this weird feeling that when people would come to me & ask for signature, I would be like, Why are you asking for signature? I’m nobody. I don’t have a Grand Slam and all this stuff. I just changed how I feel. Like, I start respect myself more. I start to understand that actually I’m here because I work so hard and I’m actually good player. Every time I had a tough moment on court, I was just reminding myself that I’m good enough to handle all this just everything,” Sabalenka said, per Musab Abid.

“I start to understand that actually I’m here because I work so hard and I’m actually good player,” Sabalenka continued. “Every time I had a tough moment on court, I was just reminding myself that I’m good enough to handle all this just everything.”

— Musab (@Musab_Abid) January 28, 2023

A calm Sabalenka gets the job done 

Throughout the month, Sabalenka has been often talking about her change in attitude and approach. 

In the past, Sabalenka used to easily get annoyed and frustrated when it gets tough on the court. 

But in her first two tournaments of the season, Sabalenka stayed calm even when it wasn’t pretty. 

Even in the Australian Open final, Sabalenka was down by a set to Rybakina, who came out firing and playing great tennis.

But Sabalenka didn’t panic and ended up creating a big comeback to beat Rybakina in three sets. 

This month, Sabalenka jokingly called herself “boring” while describing the new her. 

Sabalenka, who started the Australian Open ranked at No 5 in the world, will return to No 2 on Monday.

Sabalenka will certainly be hoping to win more Grand Slams in the rest of the season and potentially attack Iga Swiatek at the No 1 spot.