Sabalenka: "I spent a week thinking about the defeat in Australia"
The world number one confesses how painful that lost final at the 2025 Australian Open was.
Aryna Sabalenka returns to the circuit at WTA Doha 2025, where she is the top seed. The world number one has been a standout in tournaments for several months now, a clear contender for trophies, much like in the 2025 Australian Open. In Melbourne, she suffered a tough blow with an unexpected loss, which she has had time to reflect on in recent days.
"Actually, yes, this match was the toughest. I think for a week I was thinking about it. Honestly, looking back and thinking about those two lost matches, I didn't do anything wrong, she just played out of her mind, it was her day, there's nothing to regret. I think right now I am fully recovered after that tough match," said the Belarusian at the Media Day of WTA Doha 2025.
Her perspective on this part of the season
"The calendar is really tough, especially if you reach the final stage of the Grand Slam, the Australian Open. Then you don't have much time to recover and prepare for these big events. I will take these two tournaments as preparation for the Double Sunshine, and I will try to build my tennis, and probably take my tennis to the next level in these two events."
In our sport, it's hard to schedule, so you just follow what happens on the court. It all depends on the tournaments, how you play, how far you go, and we are going step by step. You have to go step by step, and you don't have much time to do a good preparation, but it's a good problem if you reach the final stages of the tournaments."
Differences between being number one and number two
"It doesn't really matter if you're number 1 or 2. Everyone wants to be number 1, but pressure is part of the game. If you're number 2, you also have pressure, if you're number 3, 4, 5, and I could go on, you always have pressure, you just have to find a way to deal with it. I have already overcome that phase of being under pressure and worried about whatever, so right now I'm just trying to improve every day, find something I'm not good enough at and turn it into my weapon. The second is to make sure that every time I step on the court, I bring my best fighting spirit and try to play my best match. There's pressure, of course, but I focus."
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka: "Estuve una semana pensando en la derrota de Australia"