Sabalenka: “I am more hungry here than on the Middle East tour”

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It is normal for a tennis player to not find the same motivation in the 15-20 tournaments they compete in throughout a season. If they are also one who fights and often wins Grand Slams, it is logical for them to feel a drop in adrenaline in tournaments that are not of the highest category, which can then affect their performance. That's what happened to Aryna Sabalenka during the month of February, a woman who, after winning a couple of matches in the Indian Wells WTA 1000, seems to have regained that energy and desire to go far in the draw. So far, she has reached the round of 16 without dropping a set, but it is better to listen to her latest press conference.

Victory against Bronzetti

“I don't think the match was as easy as the score says, the conditions were very difficult out there, so I am happy with how I handled everything. The wind was constantly blowing, changing from time to time, sometimes making everything very complicated. We had to adapt to the conditions all the time because they kept changing, so it was tough in that aspect. Of course, happy to add another victory, here I breathe an atmosphere as if I were playing at home, I really like meeting the people from this place.”

Sonay Kartal, next opponent

“I have never played against her before, or so I think. I admit I haven't watched too many of her matches, but I am sure my team will do its job and prepare some highlights of her tennis for me. That's what we will do, yes, we will watch some matches. Nowadays, I am doing much better when I have to adapt to the conditions on the court, whatever they may be. I really like this court, so even in that sense I am happy. I saw her play a bit against Kudermetova today, but I wasn't paying much attention, just watching from afar. At that moment, I didn't even know who my next opponent would be, but I saw some games and saw that she was playing a very decent tennis.”

Focused on her own things

“I always say the same thing, the main thing for me is to focus on myself, on my things, no matter what style my opponent comes out with. I also like to know a little about the weaknesses of my opponent, I just like to take a sneak peek to understand what things they have been doing on the court. We always watch some matches of my next opponent to analyze their game, I like to know when they fight the most. This way, when the critical moments of the match arrive, I have that information to apply more pressure.”

The competitive edge back

“After the Australian Open, I needed some time, I already said it, I needed to recharge and start over. Maybe I didn't play my best tennis during the month of February, let's say it wasn't the best time for me in terms of physical condition, health, and not even mentally. We worked a lot and now, definitely, I feel much better. I feel hungrier than during the Middle East tour, so I hope to keep showing my best tennis in every match I can play here.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka: “Tengo más hambre aquí que en la gira de Oriente Medio”