"You realise it's just sport. Okay": Aryna Sabalenka reveals secret behind recent success after cementing China Open quarterfinal berth

World number two Aryna Sabalenka has revealed the reason behind her recent success. The 26-year-old is regarded as one of the best players currently playing women’s tennis in the singles category, along with Poland’s Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka is having an impressive time on the court. She recently won the third Grand Slam in her career. She lifted the US Open for the first time in her career after beating America’s Jessica Pegula in the final in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5.

Sabalenka is currently participating in the China Open, where she booked her spot in the quarterfinal after beating America’s Madison Keys in straight sets with a score of 6-4 and 6-3. After the match, the reigning world number two highlighted the reason behind her recent success. The Minsk-born star believed that previously, she used to take stress about not winning a match as if something bad would happen if she did not produce the goods. Still, recently, she has found a way to calm herself under pressure, knowing that no one will die even if she loses.

"In the past, I had a lot of difficult things to face," she said as quoted by Eurosport. "After you face certain things, you realise it's just sport. Okay, if you're not going to win this match, what happens? Nobody is going to die. You're not going to die. It's okay. You're going to go to another tournament, and you're going to try your best in the next one. Before, it felt like if I was not going to win this match, something bad was going to happen. I'm going to die, whatever. But these kinds of thoughts create all of that pressure, all of that frustration, all of that crazy stuff. Nowadays, I'm just working hard, I'm trying to improve myself every day. Every time I'm on the court, I try to give my best. If you give your best, and you don't win the match, okay. You learn and you try better next time."