Sabalenka not thinking about World No.1 spot ahead of Wimbledon semi-final: "If I start, I'm going to lose focus"
WTAThursday, 13 July 2023 at 14:00
Belarus’ tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has stated that she is
not thinking about claiming the number one spot.
The 25-year-old is now the top-seeded player left in
Wimbledon 2023 after the current world number one Iga Swiatek suffered a surprising
defeat against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal of the third Grand
Slam of the year with a score of 7-5, 6-7, 6-2.
That result put Sabalenka in a pole position to claim the
top spot if she goes all the way and lifts the title in London this weekend.
When asked whether she is thinking about it, the Minsk-born
stated that she is trying to focus on her performance and nothing else.
“To be honest, I want both [title and number one spot],” she
said. “But I'm trying to focus on myself because I know if I'll start thinking
about all this stuff, I'm going to lose my focus on court, my game.”
Sabalenka defeated America’s Madison Keys in the quarterfinal
of the mega-event in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday.
The 2023 Australian Open winner will be extremely going into
the business end of the competition as he has just lost one set in the tournament
which was against France’s Varvara Gracheva in the second round.
Other than that, she has defeated four other opponents — Hungary’s
Panna Udvardy, Russia’s Anna Blinkova, Ekaterina Alexandrova and America’s Keys
— in straight sets.
Sabalenka is now set to face the world number six Tunisia’s Ons
Jabeur for a place in the final of Wimbledon 2023.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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