Sabalenka aims high alongside Djokovic at the US Open: "We are seeking the title"

Aryna Sabalenka is not only the number 1 in the world, but she is also the favorite to win WTA Toronto 2026. Additionally, this week it was announced that for the mixed doubles at the US Open, she will form an incredible duo with Novak Djokovic, with whom she has stated she aims to win the tournament beyond just putting on a show.

This year, the Belarusian player has reached the final in all 4 hard court tournaments she has played, winning three of them, and this season she will have the opportunity to remove the bitter taste of missing out on the new mixed doubles format in New York, as she could not compete with Grigor Dimitrov last year. Sabalenka has a great relationship with Djokovic, but she made it clear at the WTA Toronto media day that they are not just going for a stroll, and their goal is to lift the title.

Sabalenka reveals her expectations for the North American tour

Yes, I have very high hopes (laughs). I wouldn't say the clay and grass seasons were that bad. I was trying a couple of things, but they didn't go as I expected, and now we've gone back to basics. I really hope to perform well on hard courts again.

Returning to basics on the hard court tour

It's a routine. There are a lot of rallies, a lot of basic work, like cross-court shots. I don't know, it's like going back to a very small variety of the game. I don't get too caught up in these angles, drop shots, like serve and volley, I just go back to playing from the baseline, making sure I have a lot of confidence there. And on top of that, I add some variety. 

The importance of her break to fall in love with tennis again

I thought that the break was very necessary. I struggled a lot during the summer tour, both physically and mentally. It was very much needed. After Mykonos, I spent five or six days, perhaps even less, and I felt much better. I was looking forward to getting back on the court and starting to work towards my goals for this tour. It was very necessary. I would say it took me about a week.

Playing mixed doubles at the US Open with Djokovic

I hope everyone stays healthy this time (laughs). I'm really excited. I think
it's going to be fun. Playing with Novak is always fun. Mixed doubles, I've only played once in my life, I mean in Grand Slams, and we’re going to give it our all, you know, we're just looking for the title, that's our goal, I believe, so it's going to be fun and intense.

Sabalenka speaks out on the controversy over withdrawals at the Toronto tournament

It's very complicated to schedule many tournaments, two-week tournaments. If you go far into the grass season, you don't have much time to recover, recharge and get back on the court to train and then play the tournament. It's like skipping your vacation, which is very necessary after that important part of the season, so it’s difficult to schedule. Moreover, if you go far in grass, you feel very tired and cannot play well. What's the point of coming when your body is under so much stress, with not enough time to recover? You push yourself too hard, and that can lead to injury. It's very complicated. But this year didn't go well for me, so here I am (laughs).

Why do you play with the Wilson Blade V10?

I feel like the racket I have is not heavy, but rather moderately heavy, but definitely not light. I have more control and power and, yes, I find it very hard to miss with this racket. I've been experimenting, adjusted my racket a bit so that the ball flies a little more, and I have more control. For me, control is key because I'm super powerful, and if I use a heavier racket, with a bigger head, with different weights, with a different swing weight, I think my balls would go flying.

Enjoyment during training

I think it's something that reflects my personality and that of my team; we always have fun. I feel that it's very important to enjoy the process, enjoy the training sessions, have fun, interact with people. I think it's essential and helps me to
maintain balance.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka apunta alto junto a Djokovic en el US Open: "Buscamos el título"