"It’s fun to watch, not fun to play. I go for the shots and I pray." - Sabalenka on Big-Stage pressure after Raducanu match

Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka played one of the toughest matches of her season on Monday in Cincinnati. Sabalenka would likely agree with that statement, even though she has already played in the finals of two Grand Slams earlier this year and lost both of them.

In the round of 32 of the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka came out on top against Britain’s Emma Raducanu with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, in a match that lasted more than three hours. One of the games in the deciding set lasted more than 20 minutes and had 13 deuces. Sabalenka spoke to the Tennis Channel after the match and explained how challenging it was to come on the right side of the result against Britain’s number one. Sabalenka stated that her strategy to take ‘brave decisions’ at crucial moments helped her overcome Raducanu in the contest.

“I just did the cold plunge for ten minutes,” she said with a laugh to Tennis Channel. “The last time I did it in Florida, I could only last one minute. That’s how hard it felt today — I didn’t even want to get out. But I had to, because I had to talk to you guys. I was brave enough to come to the net and go for some risky shots I’ve been working on in the last couple of weeks. Max is happy with my volley, but at the same time, he’s like, ‘That’s too risky.’ Still, I was pretty happy with those shots. I think I just made quite brave decisions, and that’s why I got the win.”

Sabalenka then went on to explain that at one stage, she started feeling a bit older compared to Raducanu and highlighted how she had to control her breathing to perform at her best on the court. “The whole time I was thinking, ‘This is what they call ageing,’” joked Sabalenka. “I looked at Emma — she was pumped and ready for the next point — and I was still trying to catch my breath. I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ But I focused on controlling my breathing, those slow exhales, and I just hoped I could stay out there in these conditions and get the win.”

During the same interview, Sabalenka shared her perspective about the importance of having experience of playing such high-intensity matches in the past. Sabalenka stated that if she had played a similar match earlier in her career, the outcome might have been different.

“Before, when I wasn’t as experienced, I would have gone crazy after missing those chances and probably lost my serve right away,” said Sabalenka. “This time, I was like, ‘Okay, it’s in the past, move on.’ I focused on my serve and hoped I could break in the next game because I was getting close. Mentally I’ve improved a lot. The main thing I kept telling myself was, ‘Keep pushing, keep trying,’ even when it felt impossible.”

Sabalenka then went on to state that in her opinion, it is better to ‘watch’ than be a part of such contests. She also stated that she is not a big fan of too much practice during the competition, but she believes she will have to do that this time around.

“It’s fun to watch, not fun to play,” said Sabalenka. “I go for the shots and I pray. My team is always cramping up watching me, but it’s fun afterwards — especially if you win. I never go for crazy amounts of practice during a tournament, but we’ll do some extra recovery, stretching, mobility — just to make sure my ‘old’ body will be ready.”

Sabalenka’s next opponent will be Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The 22-year-old cemented her spot in the last-16 after beating America’s Taylor Townsend in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-1. It will be the second meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the only previous meeting, which came earlier this year in the round of 64 of the Australian Open, Sabalenka came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5.

As for recovery before her next match, she plans to focus on rest and mobility work. “I never go for crazy amounts of practice during a tournament, but we’ll do some extra recovery, stretching, mobility — just to make sure my ‘old’ body will be ready,” she laughed.

Sabalenka also said she enjoys playing in all kinds of cities, large or small, though she was disappointed to have missed a recent players’ music festival. “It looked like so much fun! Maybe next time. I haven’t been to a lot of concerts, but if I go, I really enjoy it.