"I did right skipping a couple of tournaments": Aryna Sabalenka credits rest for her strong return to Cincinnati

Aryna Sabalenka spoke about her time away from the courts after taking a break following her semifinal defeat at Wimbledon. The world No. 1 considered it a wise decision to take time away from competition—skipping the start of the hardcourt swing, including the Canadian Open—to return to the courts with renewed energy.

The three-time Grand Slam champion suffered a painful defeat at the All England Club, after reaching the tournament's semifinals for the third consecutive time (she did the same in her previous appearances in 2021 and 2023). This time she faced Amanda Anisimova and was looking to reach the final at Wimbledon for the first time, but she ended up falling 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.

In 2024, Sabalenka attended the DC Open and Canadian Open in the weeks following Wimbledon, but for this year she decided to make a change, taking a period of rest, something she believes came at a good time. "I think I played so many matches this season. So I'm quite experienced to handle those key moments. Key for me is always go for it without doubting my decisions. And so far it's been working really well."

Sabalenka has had a great year despite the fact that a Grand Slam title has been elusive. She has a 48-9 record for the season (84.2%), in which she won three titles (Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid), in addition to reaching finals at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Stuttgart Open, and Roland Garros.

In the middle of a busy year, the No. 1 decided that she needed to take some time off before traveling to the North American hardcourt swing, where she is the defending champion of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. Like her male colleagues Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Sabalenka decided not to play the Canadian Open and to take more time to recharge.

"I enjoyed my time off, it was very much needed. I enjoyed it so much,” she said to Tennis Channel after her opening-round victory. “It was really tough to come back. But yeah, I think I did everything right, meaning skipping a couple of tournaments and giving myself a little time to recover, recharge and start everything over again."

The Belarusian debuted with a victory at the Cincinnati Open, defeating the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova—a tough draw to begin her journey in the tournament. The Belarusian was better in the key moments, saving 12 break points against her and taking the three opportunities she had to break: a result of 7-5, 6-1 for a difficult challenge.

After returning to victory, Sabalenka is preparing to face a well-known rival, Emma Raducanu, in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. They faced each other just a month ago in the third round of Wimbledon. The world No. 1 had to fight to secure the 7-6(6), 6-4 victory, in which Raducanu saved up to seven set points in the first set before Sabalenka managed to take the advantage.

"We had a great battle at Wimbledon. She's an amazing player and she's been playing really well lately,” the world No. 1 mentioned. “I'm super excited to face her on hardcourt.”

It is the second time they will face each other on a hardcourt, considering their first confrontation was back at the 2024 Indian Wells, also with a straight-sets victory for Sabalenka. "I don't remember our match at Indian Wells but I think now she's playing much better. It's going to be a challenge and I love to accept tough tough challenges. I’m super excited to face her. Definitely I'll have to work really hard for every point but Marketa (Vondrousova) tested me really really well today. So I'm ready to fight for each point."