New York (AFP) – Aryna Sabalenka brushed off concerns about her slumping form on Friday as she prepared to launch her bid for a third straight US Open crown. The world number one from Belarus arrives in New York following a disappointing run of recent results and has not won a tournament since her victory in the Miami Open in March.
However, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion insists she is ready to turn the page at Flushing Meadows over the next fortnight, a venue that has been a happy hunting ground for her in recent years with back-to-back wins in 2024 and 2025. “Always confident,” the 28-year-old told reporters about her mindset.
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Sabalenka started the year in blistering form, with a win in Brisbane before reaching the final of the Australian Open, where she lost in three sets to Elena Rybakina. She bounced back from that loss to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ with wins at Indian Wells and Miami but has not challenged for a title since.
She exited in the quarter-finals at the French Open and was bundled out in the fourth round at Wimbledon by Naomi Osaka. Those defeats were followed by fourth round exits at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open earlier this month, leaving Sabalenka with everything to prove heading to New York.
Sabalenka, though, said she is confident of playing her way out of poor form. “That’s the beauty of sport,” she said. “Throw tough challenges at me, I will come back only stronger. It wasn’t the best period. I don’t want to defend myself, but obviously I just don’t want to talk about that period. I’ve been dealing with several things. But who cares, right? I didn’t perform my best.
“These tough lessons are definitely going to make me way, way stronger and working even harder. I work on my mental side of the game. I was trying to reset my mind and to come back stronger, so it’s only going to make me stronger. It’s only a matter of time for me to come back.”
Sabalenka could become only the third woman after Chris Evert and Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Opens if she claims the fifth Grand Slam title of her career in New York. “They’re the biggest, and they’re legends. I was growing up looking up to them, and I loved the way they dominated the tour,” Sabalenka said. “So if I would be able to put my name kind of, like, slightly next to them, that means a lot to me.”
© 2024 AFP
