"I get tired": Anna Kalinskaya shares why she is 'completely opposite' to Aryna Sabalenka

Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya has highlighted how she believes she is ‘opposite’ to world number one Aryna Sabalenka. The 26-year-old has been going through a difficult time on the court in recent years. This year, Kalinskaya has only won 21 out of her 38 matches, with a win percentage of just over 55.

That is the lowest win percentage Kalinskaya has had in singles tennis in the last five years. In the last two years, Kalinskaya finished with a win percentage of over 60 per cent. Last year was her most productive in terms of the win percentage, where she finished with a win percentage of over 66 per cent. Her best performance this year in a singles competition came at the DC Open in Washington, where she finished as the runner-up after losing to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2.

Kalinskaya most recently featured at the US Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the third round to world number one Poland’s Iga Swiatek in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-4. Despite the result, Kalinskaya’s run at the US Open was her best out of all the Grand Slams. In the first three Grand Slams, Kalinskaya failed to get past the second round. She did not feature at the Australian Open. In Paris, Kalinskaya was knocked out after losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. At Wimbledon, Kalinskaya suffered a defeat in the second round to Denmark’s Clara Tauson in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6.

The player who went all the way and lifted the title in New York this year was the world number one Sabalenka, who managed to successfully defend her title after beating America’s Amanda Anisimova in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6. It was Sabalenka’s first Grand Slam title this year despite playing in the final on three occasions. The win was a special one for Sabalenka, not only because she won a major title but also because she managed to take revenge on Anisimova, who defeated her in the semifinal at Wimbledon earlier this year.

After the win, Sabalenka was clearly ecstatic. The 27-year-old, after lifting the title, while speaking to the media, stated that she would like to celebrate and ‘drink’ after winning the competition. Sabalenka stated that she deserves to celebrate after working hard and achieving the ultimate objectives. “Oh, girl, we’re going to drink!”, said Sabalenka during the post-match press conference. “I worked hard, and now it’s time to celebrate, absorb it, let it sink in, and just enjoy the moment.”

Sabalenka then went on to highlight how proud she was of herself to finally being able to deal with her emotions on the court. “To bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot,” said Sabalenka while talking to the press. “I'm super proud right now of myself.”

Russia’s Kalinskaya recently featured in an interview with First&Red, where she spoke about how different she is compared to Sabalenka. Kalinskaya stated that, unlike Sabalenka, she gets tired at parties and the only people who can recharge her are her ‘friends’. Kalinskaya admitted that she is ‘completely’ opposite to Sabalenka in that regard.

“I get tired!,” said Kalinskaya. “Probably that’s one of the biggest reasons why I don’t like it [going to parties]. Because I don’t recharge from people. I recharge from my friends, from those I know. I can’t say it gives me more energy. I’m the complete opposite of Aryna [Sabalenka]. I would probably like to recharge from this after all, but so far it hasn’t worked for me.”