“Probably you’ll see me as a grandma on tour”: Aryna Sabalenka jokes about playing into her 40s

Aryna Sabalenka overcame her most complicated challenge so far at the Australian Open, after defeating Anastasia Potapova 7-6(7-4), 7-6(9-7) and advancing to the 4th round of the tournament. The two-time champion squandered a wide lead in the second set of 4-0 and had to save multiple set points against her before claiming the triumph.

“I was just trying to stay there. I was trying to fight,” commented the World No. 1 in a press conference. “And I’m super happy with my mentality today on the match. And I think that’s the only thing I’ve got today on the court. And that’s the only thing that really helped me to get the win.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion referred to the technical change that has boosted her game in recent times: a shot that stopped being flat and started to look for much more spin, resulting in a heavier ball for the opponent. “It was a big change. Before, I used to only hit flat balls from both sides. It’s a big technical change.”

“But, lucky me, I didn’t struggle for so long with this change because probably I was young and desperate for some changes. It was a pretty easy change. But it was a massive change in my game, which gave me a lot of benefits in the future. So, yeah, it’s technical, plus mentally you have to be ready, you have to be open to a new thing to be able to change it.”

“I think it’s changing. I think we’re taking a lot from men. A heavy shot with spin is much more aggressive than just a flat ball. It’s not that easy to block it or to hit it back. It’s heavier.”

The Belarusian achieves a particular statistic: she reached 19 consecutive tie-breaks won in Grand Slam tournaments, a streak she has carried since 2023 and with which she equals the maximum record so far of Novak Djokovic between 2005 and 2007. This time it is the Belarusian who is one tie-break away from surpassing the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“I’m just taking one ball at a time,” commented the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open champion. “Every ball is important in the tie-break, and you cannot lose your focus for a second because it can go really quickly. You have to be there 100%. That’s my approach. I just take it one point at a time.”

The last time Sabalenka lost a tie-break was in the 2024 Roland Garros semifinals against Karolina Muchova, who defeated her 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5. Since then, opponents like Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, or Iga Swiatek have not found solutions to overcome Sabalenka in a tie-break.

In the 4th round, the World No. 1 will face the young sensation of the moment: World No. 17 Victoria Mboko, a tournament debutant who at 19 years old is already installed in the fourth round, her first participation in the second week of a Grand Slam. The 2025 Canadian Open champion has 13 wins in her last 15 matches — including a victory over Australian Open defending champion Madison Keys just a week ago in Adelaide.

In the press conference, Sabalenka admitted she doesn’t know much about Mboko and hasn’t met her personally yet. “First, I never actually talked to her. I never had a chance to hit or practice with her,” commented the Belarusian. “I only saw her outside, watching some matches. She’s a great player, a fighter, playing really good aggressive tennis.”

“I have to go out there, bring my best tennis, and fight for every point. She’s an aggressive player, playing really great tennis, with heavy shots. I’m experienced, quite aggressive. I know it’s going to be a great battle, and I’m super excited to face her for the first time.”

They asked Sabalenka how she feels about young players and whether she thinks achieving success at a later stage is a good thing. “I feel maybe for me, it would have been really tough to handle success at a young age,” mentioned the Belarusian. “But now seeing these girls achieve so much, play great tennis, be really mature—it’s incredible. They mature much faster than I did at that age. It’s incredible to see how smart they are and how good their approach is. They have a great team around them, so it’s cool to see.”

On the other hand, Sabalenka had words about what is happening in the men’s main draw, where some veteran performances have stood out. It is little surprise that Novak Djokovic is installed in the third round of the Australian Open at 38 years old, but the victories of Marin Cilic (37) and Stan Wawrinka (40) have been some of the topics of the first week of the tournament.

“Well, these guys are legends, especially Novak. He’s been developing his game his whole career and is really relevant with the young boys, playing incredible tennis,” commented Sabalenka about the physical capacity of her colleagues. “It depends on your physicality, mentality, and approach to tennis. He’s very fit, focused, and at this age plays incredible tennis.”

The Belarusian addressed whether she sees herself still competing at that age. “There’s no age anymore in sport; it depends on your approach and the team around you. Your career can be extended for many years,” assured Sabalenka, currently 27 years old. “Talking about myself, I’m not sure, you never know what’s waiting for you tomorrow. Ideally, I would love to maybe have kids at 32. Knowing me, I love to accept tough challenges."

"Even after having kids, I would love to challenge myself, like coming back to see if I still have it—just to challenge myself. So probably you’ll see me as a grandma on tour, trying, hopefully pushing these young girls. Let’s talk about that in 10 years. Yeah, that’s a long time.”