Sabalenka faces the challenge of making history at the US Open: "Putting my name alongside Serena and Evert would mean a lot"
The Belarusian arrives at Flushing Meadows with the urgency to win a Grand Slam, a goal she has yet to achieve in 2026. If she doesn’t defend her title, she could even lose the number one ranking in the world.
Although some may not be very aware of it, Aryna Sabalenka is the current runner-up of the US Open, as she was the woman who claimed the title in the last two editions. However, this fact doesn’t seem to be enough to view her as a favorite in the coming two weeks.
Her season started off explosively, with a record of 23-1 in the first three months, dominating most opponents and creating an unbridgeable gap in the rankings. As September approaches, everything has changed. Her last four months have not seen her reach another final, and the rankings are starting to signal a shift with Elena Rybakina warming up on the sidelines. The Belarusian knows how much she needs to win this US Open, a trophy that would give her a triple crown achieved only by the best in history. We heard her words at the Media Day.
New York, the place where it all began
“It was an incredible feeling, especially at that moment. Back then, I couldn't get past the first week in singles, so it was really nice to stay until the end of the tournament and feel the atmosphere of a final. Winning was a very special moment; it was a special moment and really helped me continue pushing myself and believing that I could do it in singles too. So it was a very important moment.”
The challenge of entering history at the US Open
“I’m going to focus on myself. I will try to do my best and we’ll see what happens at the end of this tournament. Serena Williams or Chris Evert are the greatest, they are legends, I grew up admiring them and I loved the way they dominated the circuit. So if I could put my name slightly next to theirs, it would mean a lot to me.”
Sabalenka responds to the doubts about her season
“Maybe there’s something wrong with people. I always have confidence. That’s the beauty of sports. Throw me difficult challenges and I will come back even stronger. It hasn’t been the best period; I don’t want to defend myself, but obviously, I don’t want to talk about that period. I have been dealing with various things, but who cares, right? Yes, I haven’t performed at my best. These tough lessons will definitely make me much, much stronger, and I will work even harder. I’m working on my mental aspect. I was trying to reset my mind and come back stronger, so this will only make me stronger. It’s just a matter of time before I return.”
Her outfit, the criticisms, and social media
“I love it, this year has been very special for the Nike team. It has always been related to different sports: surfing for the Australian Open, ballet for Roland Garros, cricket for Wimbledon, and now it’s basketball, and we’re in New York. Isn’t it the perfect combination? I basically love everything about my outfit. I like that it’s different. I like that it’s bold. I’ve heard that people on the Internet probably didn’t like it, but I don’t really care. I find it funny because when Nike was quite simple and standard, they complained. When Nike did something really fun and tried to bring that back, they complained too. So, who cares what people think, right? The only thing that matters to me is that I love it. For me, it’s very fun, plus it looks great in photos.”
A fulfilled claim for the players
“We are very happy to see that good understanding has been restored and that we are finally reaching the point we wanted to be at from the beginning. I hope that in the future we won’t have to boycott the media, tournaments, or anything like that. We will all be happy, and that’s all we wanted from the start.”
Sabalenka values the experience of playing with Djokovic
“Maybe one day I will. Why not? I have been friends with Novak for so long and I have never visited Serbia. It’s a bit strange, right? Or maybe not. But maybe one day I will go. It was very fun playing with him and also talking a lot about tennis and learning from him during that match. It was an incredible experience. I just wish we had done a bit better than we did. I’m happy that there’s a second opportunity.”
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka, ante el reto de hacer historia en el US Open: “Poner mi nombre al lado de Serena y Evert significaría mucho”