Belarus’ tennis star
Aryna Sabalenka has stated that she is
not focused on rankings despite her recent success on the court. The
26-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in
women’s tennis in the singles category along with Poland’s Iga Swiatek.
Sabalenka has gone through a mixed campaign, but in the
recent past, she has managed to turn things around and produce some impressive
results. She lifted the US Open for the first time on Saturday after beating
America’s Jessica Pegula in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 7-5. Before
coming to New York, the Minsk-born star lifted the Cincinnati Masters after
beating Pegula in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5.
With those results, Sabalenka has not only managed to
consolidate her position in second place in the WTA rankings but has also
reduced the gap to the current world number one to just over 2,000 points.
Interestingly, Swiatek has more than 2,000 points to defend in the later stages
of the season as she won the China Open and the WTA Finals last year.
Sabalenka was recently quoted in a report where she stated
that she is not focusing on becoming the world's number one. The three-time Grand
Slam winner also stated that her focus has been to play her ‘best’ tennis in
every tournament. “I mean, I’m not trying to focus on ranking, to be honest,”
she said. “Not like I’m checking where I’m gonna be after the tournament. I’m
just trying to focus on myself, and I know that if on each tournament I’m able
to play my best tennis and I’ll be able to bring this fighting spirit on each
game, I’ll be able to become world No 1 again. So my focus is on myself, on
improving myself as a player and as a person. Hopefully one day I’ll see myself
on the top of the ranking.”