Sabalenka: "I had to take a step back and start over"

Fernando Murciego | 9 Mar 2025 | 09.02

Aryna Sabalenka is another player at Indian Wells. Source: Getty

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Aryna Sabalenka came through her first match at Indian Wells 2025 without making much noise, defeating Kessler in straight sets to advance to the third round of the women's draw. The interesting part came afterwards, in the press conference, where the Belarusian commented on Novak Djokovic's elimination and the Serbian's remarks about the court, but she also analyzed her own situation and how she has regained motivation after a forgettable February.

Match Assessment

"She played an incredible tennis, handled the pressure quite well, so it was a great match and I'm super happy to overcome this second round, it was a very tough challenge."

Djokovic's Comments on Tournament Conditions

"I think we played in different conditions and probably both played very aggressive tennis, although it is true that the serve with kick bounces much higher. Generally, in each tournament, we have a central court a little different from the other courts, it's always a bit slower. Here the outer courts are faster than the central one. Definitely, we could find some questionable parts of the court where the ball doesn't bounce at all or where the ball jumps very high. In my experience, I felt quite good on the court."

Minor Frustrations on Court

"That's just me, at no point was I frustrated, I just take advantage of some moments to have a chat with myself. The last point of the match was probably the best of the whole match. In fact, right now I only remember that point, I remember my serve and my point, so I'd like to keep it that way."

A Tough February

"I would say I didn't play my best tennis in the Middle East swing, but I did play great tennis in Australia. Of course, the final was not my best match; I wasn't happy with that. I've had ups and downs, but now I'm starting to feel better, I'm hungrier now than in the Middle East, this is the way. Still being in the third month of the season, it's too early to rate my season."

Motivation is Back

"The Australian Open final was heartbreaking, it was very difficult to recover from that, so in the Middle East, I was trying to understand everything a bit, I kept thinking about that match all the time. That was my mistake, but it was necessary to realize some things, I had to take a step back and start over. Now I feel better, that final is already in the past, it's just a good experience, a great lesson, although I hope it won't happen again."

Building the Perfect Player

"On a good day, I would keep my serve. With the forehand... I'm just in love with my forehand, but on good days (laughs). Well, wait, I'll go with Elena's (Rybakina) serve on her good days and Madison's (Keys) forehand. The volley? I'd say Coco (Gauff) is good, although I think a lot about Barty too, especially her slice. And for the return, I'll go with Iga (Swiatek), she's very good."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka: “Tuve que dar un paso atrás y empezar de nuevo”