Sabalenka gets used to the 'noise' of New York: "I have accepted that they will cheer against me"

The journey of Aryna Sabalenka at this US Open 2026 has been, so far, immaculate. The player from Minsk has yet to lose a set, and beyond the numbers, the feeling she conveys is that she has everything quite under control. The question is what will happen starting from the round of 16.

Because the unresolved issue that the Belarusian carries with Grand Slams this season is a reality that is surely waiting in her mind to appear at the least opportune moment. Up until the fourth round, one cannot criticize her, but we have often seen a similar path only to hit a bump in the gentlest curve. In the mission to defend her crown in Flushing Meadows and her position as world number one, Sabalenka spoke to the media after another good day at the office against Rakhimova.

Aryna Sabalenka blasts the smell of marijuana in New York

“I was like: guys, you can do whatever you want, you can smoke whatever you want, you can relax as much as you want, but please, don’t do it around the tennis courts. It’s a bit complicated to handle that smell while trying to compete at the highest level. I had never experienced a smell that strong before. Plus, there was a bit of wind. I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or from outside because the wind was blowing it towards the stadium. I just hope that people are a bit more mindful of these things. More about marijuana? Come on, guys. I’m just asking people not to smoke next to the court. Maybe they were too quick and wanted to slow things down a bit. I don’t know what effect it has.”

Living with the commotion in the stands

“For me, it’s not a distraction, I’m focused on my tennis. I know how to balance this life on and off the court in New York. Are you talking about what happens here, in the stadium? No, I enjoy it a lot. I feel that I have a lot of support. I think most of the people in the stadium are with me. So they don’t bother me, even when they are a bit loud during the points. I feel like I have them on my side and, for me, it’s an incredible atmosphere. I love this loud environment of the stadium. I feel comfortable here. I love this place, and probably that makes me feel at home. If I compare it with the other Grand Slams, I feel good in all of them, but probably I am more comfortable here.”

Analysis of her serve, the shot that always works

“Obviously, I felt great. The statistics were incredible. At one point, I saw on the screen that I had 100% first serves and thought: ‘Oh, wow’. Then it went down a bit. I probably shouldn’t have been looking at that. I should have kept focusing more on my serve. I’m very happy. Of course, I can’t complain about my serve today. The numbers speak for themselves, and it was a very good day with my serve.”

An immaculate journey

“It has been a very long road. When I first got here, I felt that the highest level was something unattainable, something impossible. I wish I had had a different mindset back then. But I had to work so much to change many things in my game and add many others to be able to compete at the highest level. If someone had told me where all this would take me ten years later, I would have been completely surprised and probably very motivated to hear it. I am very proud of the journey and all the work I have done to get to where I am now.”

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Sabalenka criticizes the calendar and advocates for physical care

“I would like to see changes in the calendar and a reduction in mandatory tournaments, allowing players to decide what is best for their health, because it has been super intense. Especially if you play at the level Carlos is playing, being so consistent, it is very complicated for the body. If they don’t reduce it, we will have to sacrifice points, ranking position, or whatever to protect our bodies. I think it would be very helpful for the WTA and ATP to ease the calendar a bit for us and, once again, support our health. I hope they do.”

Sabalenka's solution when the crowd turns against her

“At first, I felt a bit sad and offended by that. But over time, I realized that it made no sense. It’s obvious that they are going to support their player more; why should they cheer for me instead of her? Now I understand it better and accept that they are going to cheer against me. I’m also pretty good at tuning out external noise. I don’t hear them. I’m super focused on the match. Or sometimes they can make me angry, and that’s not good for them either.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka se acostumbra al "ruido" de Nueva York: “He aceptado que van a animar contra mí”