Aryna Sabalenka has not lost in difficult majors this season. She started the year with a victory at the Australian Open, which became the second in her career, and now she won the US Open title for the first time and became a three-time TBS champion. On the court and at the press conference, the Belarusian was happy and said that all the past tough defeats were not in vain. They were necessary to achieve moments like this victory.
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“In the second set I prayed”
In an on-court interview, Arina admitted that she prayed in the second set: it was very difficult. Jessica Pegula came back from 0-3 down and took five games in a row, but in the end Sabalenka was able to turn the tide of the match in her favour.
– Oh God, I have no words. Many times I thought I was close to winning here. This was my dream. I finally got this beautiful trophy… It means a lot. It was a tough two weeks. Jessica, I know how hard it is to lose a final. You are showing amazing tennis, I am more than sure that one day you will win. Maybe not one, but more, but let’s start with one. In the second game I was praying and you are talking about me giving you one game.
— We saw your tears after the defeat in the final. Now you have different tears. — I remember all the tough defeats last year. It sounds easy, but never give up on your dreams. Keep dreaming and working hard. If you work really hard, sacrifice everything for your dream, one day it will come true. I am very proud of myself. I never say this, but I am very, very proud of myself, guys. I am proud of my team for the fact that no matter what happened, no matter what situations we found ourselves in this season and before, we were able to overcome them and win these wonderful trophies. Your support is everything. You are my family, I can’t imagine my tennis or my personal life without you. I really love you so much. I don’t say this very often, but sometimes I do. I love you so much, thank you for being like you. I wouldn’t be me without you. And as I always say, you wouldn’t exist either. So please!
“We’ll drink a lot!”
“I have no words, I can’t formulate my thoughts. I’m very happy. I remember all the hard defeats at the US Open. They say you understand the reasons later. Now I understand. I had to go through these hard lessons to lift this beautiful trophy. I feel like I’m the happiest person in the world now.
— Three years ago we expected great things from you. You yourself expected great things. You couldn’t make it to the second week of the majors. What has changed? “I think I’ve become very strong mentally. I’ve been through a lot on and off the court. I just realized how to control my emotions and keep my balance on the court. Even if something doesn’t go well, I just tell myself: “Arina, come on. You’ve been through a lot. It’s just a tennis match. You can handle emotions, you just have to focus on what you need to do to win. Things will get better little by little.” I think this is the main change, I understood how to control my emotions.
— You and your team always have a great time. How will you celebrate? — We will probably drink a lot (laughs).
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“My goal has always been to write our name in the history of tennis.”
— The match was very difficult, she showed some amazing tennis. To be honest, I didn’t expect her to come back to such a high level after leading 3-0. I’m very happy that I was able to hold my serve when the score was 5-3 and then get a break. This gave me confidence that I could close the match in straight sets. So it’s a very, very difficult match. And I’m very happy with the win.
— Can you tell me a little bit more about the second set? You won five matches in a row, what were you thinking at that moment and how did you stay mentally strong? – Yes, she showed some amazing tennis. Well, I had my chances, at 3:1 I served and at 3:0 I had a break point, but she made winners and showed very aggressive tennis. It seemed like a second had passed, and it was already 3:5 and I was serving. I thought: wow, wow, she shows some crazy level. At that moment I said to myself: okay, try to hold serve. I was preparing for the third set, at least I wanted to be confident in my serve in the third set. And then she held serve and put pressure on her at 5:4.
— You may still be the second player in the world, but you won two TBS titles this year. Are you worried about not being number one? — To be honest, I try not to focus on the qualification. It’s not like I’m keeping track of where I finish after the tournament. I try to focus on myself and I know that if I can play my best tennis in every tournament, show my fighting spirit in every match, improve as a player and as a person, then one day I hope to see myself at the top of the rankings.
—This is your third title in your career, do you even think about your place in the history of the sport? “You know, when I lost my father, my goal was always to write our name in the history of tennis. And I am proud of myself every time I see my name on the trophy. I am proud of my family because they did not give up on my dream and did everything to keep it going. I had this opportunity in my life, it means a lot. I have always dreamed of this and I still can’t believe that I have already achieved so much.
Arina Sabalenko
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
“I decided a long time ago that in important moments you have to take risks”
— From the outside it seems like you take more risks in the most important plays. Is this true? “I know I have to take risks, it’s the only way I can, because every time I try to play more confidently, my hands stop and the ball goes flying into the stands. I decided for myself a long time ago that in important moments you have to take risks. We have to swing. And if I swing without stopping my hand, I will hit. So this is my only option.”
—There were moments of tension at the end of each set. At that moment, were you even thinking about last year’s final or the semi-final of the year before? “To be honest, it seemed to me that I was constantly thinking about the last few years, because I learned a lot of difficult lessons here. The US Open is a very difficult tournament, especially last year. But to be honest, today I kept telling myself that this is the US Open final. Of course, I will have to fight with all my strength, it won’t be easy and I will have to try hard to win. In those moments I tried to stay strong and kept telling myself that I had been through a lot and that I was strong enough to withstand this pressure. I’m glad that last year didn’t come to my mind.
— You talked about how difficult this period was, you had both trauma and personal tragedy. Why is it especially important for you to win the title this year? — Yes, I went through a lot of challenges on and off the court, and I also had an injury when I couldn’t play at Wimbledon. It was a new experience for me. Also, the US Open is a special place. I have had a lot of tough defeats in the past and I always hoped that one day I could win this beautiful trophy. I always dreamed of this. This is a special victory because no matter what happens, I come back stronger and I learn every time. I never gave up on this dream. This means a lot.
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“We always come up with something new. There was a signature, now it’s a tattoo. What’s next?”
— How did you react to Jason’s tiger tattoo on his head? I hope it’s temporary… – No, no, constant (laughs)! To be honest, I forgot, but I think there was a girl in Washington who was a fan of mine. She supports me and has always done interesting things with my name. And she had temporary tattoos. So Jason promised that if I made it to the final, he would make one on my forehead. It’s a shame he didn’t take it down, it would have been more fun, wouldn’t it?
And I forgot, and today we had lunch before the game and he showed it to me. I said, okay! We’ll do it! Half the team also had little tigers on their arms, as did my friends. It’s cool, isn’t it? We always come up with something new. There was a signature, now it’s a tiger tattoo. I wonder what’s next. Maybe Jason will dye his hair, maybe Anton will come up with something fun. Like pink or purple. Why not?
— You told us how you improved your slices and shortenings. Today you used them in key moments. Now, is this your plan B if things go wrong when you hit the ball hard and get winners all over the place? “It’s always good to have different options in stock. Sometimes you don’t feel good on the baseline, then you can either cut or hit a short shot, or go to the net. I’m always working on adding variety to my game and I’m glad I have the courage to use these options at key moments.
It is always important to keep improving. I find that I put even more pressure on my opponents when they see that I can not only hit hard, but also play differently. I will always work on this. I hope that one day you will see me serving at the net. I am not sure that I am brave enough to do this, but maybe one day I will try this Plan C. I hope that I will never need it. However, in battle, all means are good.
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her victory at the US Open
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
“Elite athletes have the privilege of being able to feel the joy of victory. What were you thinking when you fell on your back?” – Yes, these are definitely the best moments. It was one of the best moments, a lot of things were going through my head. The first was thinking about all the tough defeats in the past and I was so proud of myself and the team that despite everything we were able to come back with better tennis. And now I finally have this beautiful trophy. I don’t know, it’s hard to describe this feeling. It’s like you’re crying, laughing, experiencing all the emotions at once. It’s the best feeling. I really want everyone to be able to experience this.
