Without five minutes, the first racket in the world, Aryna Sabalenka, made a great comeback in the match against the American Madison Keys and reached the final of the US Open 2023. Not even the delay of the match due to the disorder in the stands in the first match of the session. Neither the “flywheel” of the first game stopped her, nor the fact that she began to celebrate her victory too soon in the decisive tiebreaker.
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In an on-court interview, Arina jokingly explained why she insulted her team:
“Did the team even laugh at me sometimes? They are fired! They are no longer on my team (laughs). It’s all their fault. No, we talked a lot after the semi-finals that if I need to vent, I have to do it, otherwise I’ll eat myself. Then I yelled at them and cursed at them. They know I still love them and I did it for a cause. It’s already too late, it’s already difficult for me to speak, especially in English.
Why did I start celebrating when the score was 7:3 in the tiebreaker? I thought the tiebreaker was seven… I don’t know, it was chaos and madness. Thanks to the team, they reminded us that we played until 10.”
“I said to myself, well, is someone going to start showing their best tennis yet?”
At the press conference, Arina called this victory one of her best comebacks and shared her expectations for the final with Cori Gauff.
— An incredible match, he showed incredible tennis. And I’m proud that I was able to turn the game around and win. It’s just amazing.
—What did you think about in the first and second set? And what did you tell yourself to leave everything and start returning to the game?– It was crazy. I thought: what should I do? She plays incredibly, she gets everything right. But I can’t do anything, I don’t control the match at all. I said to myself, well, is someone going to start showing her best tennis yet?
We had to keep trying, stay in the game, keep pushing. And maybe he can turn the game around. Luckily, in some magical way I was able to turn the game around.
— You had many difficult semifinals, where your rivals defended themselves. Wouldn’t it be nice to take revenge now and exorcise this demon? “I reminded myself that I lost a lot of difficult matches and that one day this should help me in some way. These thoughts helped me stay in the game, they gave me hope that I could turn the game around, that nothing is over until the last point is played, that I have to fight, find the rhythm, find my game, look for myself. myself. And finally, I magically found my game and turned the game around.
— Is it possible to prepare for this type of situation in training? — The best training is a match. Therefore, we play tournaments before the US Open to practice different difficult situations before the Slam. In training, you can try to put yourself in that situation; For example, start playing a set with a score of 1:4 and try to win it.
You can simulate such a situation, but still the best training is a match. You only need to practice this in the tournaments leading up to the Slam.
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“I thought that if I lost I wouldn’t be able to sleep for several days. And I need to sleep”
– Is this your best comeback? Did the delay of the first game or unusual circumstances affect its start? – No, during the delay I told myself that I couldn’t control it. So I didn’t waste my energy. I was with the team, we talked, everything was good. I think he played incredible tennis.
As for comebacks, last year I had an incredible comeback with a 1-5 against Kanepi. But all comebacks are different, this is definitely one of the best (smiles). I’m proud to have been able to turn the game around.
—You already beat Coco this year. What will you focus on? “He’s playing much better than he did in that match in Indian Wells.” I improved a lot and became a different player. We don’t think about that game.
I need to focus on myself, prepare for another battle. Whatever happens we have to keep fighting, keep showing our best tennis. What else can you do? We must be prepared and fight.
— Another match in Ash against an American. You know how it will be. – Of course, it would be better if it were someone else, so that the stands would support us equally. But today’s match will help me in the final, I will be fine.
However, I still hope that some of the fans will support me. At least a little, at least sometimes. Please (laughs).
—Why is Coco Gauff such a difficult opponent? Do you think your winning experience in Australia will help you? — Coco moves very well. She’s hungry, she has nothing to lose. She knows that the stands will support her. This makes her a difficult opponent. And she serves very well.
The Australian Open final will definitely help me, there were a lot of emotions in that final. This will be different. Don’t know. It’s too late, I can barely speak. It is true that the roof is already falling.
But that ending will definitely help me, I already know what emotions to expect. And I know how to deal with them. Emotionally, that ending will help me.
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— You said that you thought the game was over and that there were still three points left to play. How to recover your spirits after this and finish off these points? – I thought that if I lose this semifinal I won’t be able to sleep for several days. I did not want this. I need to sleep, I need to be well. And I thought: come on, keep pushing, do something else. Just try to turn this match around. Those thoughts helped me stay in the game and keep pushing and believing I had a chance.
