Heading into the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka will defend big prize money and ranking points which will soon drop off if she fails to defend the title. But given how long the season is, she is calm if the worst case scenario happens.
Sabalenka who up to recently was the World No.1 before losing it again to Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals saw off Elena Rybakina in the 2023 final and given the ranking system will now defend those accrued points. A blow she will hope will be softened if she wins Brisbane over the next week.
Sabalenka on why it’s so tough to defend a Grand Slam title: Aryna: “Well, first it's a pressure. Last year I did an amazing job. It wasn't something, easy to do, you know? It's not going to be easy this season. Just having this kind of thought on the background of your mind,…
But she has gone through a mindset shift over the past year and said that given the amount of tournaments, it is a blow that can be softened. This comes after Sabalenka was seen by some as having a meltdown in key moments after losing the semi-final of the French Open and the final of the US Open. So it is likely a new mindset based off reaction to failure.
"Worst case, what happens? I'm going to lose a Grand Slam, lose some points, drop a little bit in the ranking," Sabalenka said. "There's so many tournaments ahead. I'm going to try to do my best to be in another Grand Slam or in other tournaments."
"That's why I like my mindset, you can beat me. But I'm going to prepare every match and have huge chances to win the match after match, probably to hold the trophy," she added.
"Well, actually I think I did a big change, like, in my mindset last year." she continued. "I kind of, like, accept the fact that I can lose, that everyone can go there and beat me if I'm not bringing my best tennis.
"Kind of like accepting this fact give you more belief. You're more calm on the court in those crucial moments. I think that's why I'm kind of like not putting myself under pressure," she added.
