Sabalenka and the day she threw in the towel: "I thought it was time to leave and do something else"

Fernando Murciego | 19 Jan 2025 | 04.40

Aryna Sabalenka remembers her darkest moment. Source: Getty

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It seemed that this Sunday would bring the first challenges to the table for Aryna Sabalenka at this Australian Open. Foolish of us, we didn't see the Belarusian coming with her best performance of the tournament so far. It was the young Mirra Andreeva who had to endure it, having already challenged her at the last Roland Garros, possibly one of the reasons why the Belarusian came onto the court so fired up today. A resounding victory that places the No. 1 with a streak of 18 consecutive wins in the first Grand Slam of the season, although destiny hasn't always smiled so kindly at her. In her post-match press conference, the Minsk native had the chance to remind people of that time when everything seemed to be against her.

Victory over Andreeva

“I am super happy to achieve this victory. Mirra is so young, so mature, she is already a great player. We know she can play tennis very well, so I am happy to have achieved this victory”.

Debate about boys' and girls' schedules

“I like to play in both tournaments, because if you finish early then you have time for dinner and to relax, you don't arrive at the hotel so late and you sleep better. Of course, I also like to play the match at 7:00, but not the second slot after the boys. What I do like is having the stadium full, a great atmosphere, so I like both. On the first day, I played at 7:00 and I think yesterday there were two girls who had that slot, I'm not sure, but the point is I'm happy with the schedule, so I can't complain”.

A character forged through adversity

“When you struggle a lot with your game and had to overcome many things in matches, but end up winning, that really gives you a lot of confidence for the next matches. The truth is no matter what happens in the matches, you always have to be there fighting, you have to maintain that fighting spirit. Those matches definitely gave me so much faith that no matter what happens now, I will be there fighting”.

Little attention to Head-to-Head matches

“I don't look at it at all, for me every match is a new opportunity, a new game, no matter what happened in the past. For me it's about staying in the moment and bringing out my best game, because I know if I can bring my best tennis, I can get the victory. That's my mindset, I just try to focus on myself, when you're young you focus too much on external things, but then with experience you realize that they don't really matter. Whatever happens off the court, it's not a big deal afterwards”.

Her darkest moment

“Looking back, I think someone was forcing me to try something different to improve my serve, because at that time it wasn't good. Even before going through that situation with my serve, I was serving quite well, but it wasn't enough to win a Grand Slam. I am super happy with everything that has happened to me and being able to communicate with Gavin, we worked on biomechanics to improve my serve. How did I get out of that situation? I don't know, honestly, we tried everything. At some point, you have to step back and realize some things, you reach a point where you understand that tennis is just tennis, that there are more important things in life. The key is to do your best, go through it, come out without fear of losing the match, eager to face another battle. I simply have so much love for this sport that I will always keep trying until I find a way. That's how I could improve my serve and achieve many more things.

Yes, I do acknowledge that there was a moment when I thought it was over, it was time to leave and do something else in life. I think in those moments what you have to do is make an effort and try again, because it's precisely in those moments that things can change”.

The key to handling success

“The pressure is always there, no matter if you are No. 1, No. 2, or No. 10, there's always pressure. I think it's about focusing on yourself, as I've said before, but also enjoying yourself off the court and maintaining balance in everything. You have to do things that bring you joy in life, it won't all be about training and competing. Once again, it's about balancing those two areas”.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka y el día que tiró la toalla: “Pensé que era hora de irse y hacer otra cosa”