"Really tough to compete": Aryna Sabalenka takes realistic approach to Serena's Grand Slam count

Aryna Sabalenka admitted that she sees it as 'really tough' to match Serena Williams' quantity of Grand Slam titles and acknowledged that surpassing the American legend is not within her objectives. The current World No. 1 fell in the Wuhan Open semifinal to Jessica Pegula—breaking a 10-match winning streak she had carried since the US Open.

Precisely at Flushing Meadows, Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the semifinals, en route to her 4th Grand Slam title and second at the US Open. At 27 years old, Sabalenka acknowledged in a press conference that it is practically impossible to surpass what Serena Williams achieved, who won 23 major titles during her career.

The American already had 6 titles by age 22, while by Sabalenka's current age—27—Serena had already reached 9 major titles. However, Serena achieved a good portion of her major titles in the later years of her career. In fact, she won 10 of them after turning 30.

"All of us want to beat all the records, I think it’s so obvious,” Sabalenka said. “I think the right thing to do is focus on yourself, on your game, on developing yourself as the player and the person and if you deserve these big titles, if you deserve to beat some records, you will.”

“So my focus is on developing myself as a player. And of course, I want to, but it’s going to be really tough to compete with the Grand Slam titles that Serena has,” the World No. 1 added. “I guess for me, the goal is to go as far as I can in this sport, and I do my best every day. I dedicate my life to the sport. So I really hope that by the end of my career, I’ll sit back, I’ll look at my results, and I’ll be really proud of myself.”

“I feel like goals are so obvious, you know, and I don’t like to set up a goal. I love to focus on myself, and that what I learned throughout the year about myself, that I have to just focus on myself. And anyway, whenever I’m there competing, I want to win, so I focus on each match, like step by step.”

Sabalenka has four Grand Slam titles so far, which places her at No. 14 on the list of all-time major champions, tied with three other players—including Naomi Osaka. Only 10 players reached 7 major titles in the Open Era, and only 5 achieved at least 10 Slam titles, led by Serena Williams, with the maximum record of 23 titles—plus 9 finals.

The Belarusian will currently have to wait until the 2026 Australian Open, where all indications suggest she will be the first seed, as she has practically secured finishing the season atop the rankings. Sabalenka reached the last three consecutive finals in Melbourne, although this year she could not defend the title, falling to Madison Keys in the final.