“I didn’t want to be the player who won one Slam and then disappeared” – Sabalenka on repeat success

Aryna Sabalenka is now a back-to-back Australian Open champion, with her sights set on reclaiming the world No 1 spot at some point in 2024. Her success in Melbourne, she told reporters after beating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final, has underlined her credentials as a serious player at the top of her game.

“Actually it’s been in my mind that I didn’t want to be that player who win it and then disappeared,” she said. “I just wanted to show that I’m able to be consistently there and I’m able to win another one. I really hope that more, more than two right now, but for me was really important. That’s why, no matter what the result, like, win or lose, we are always working hard, we always looking for things to improve in my game.

“Yeah, it’s all about the process and make sure that, about the discipline, make sure that you’re always there, you always show up, and you always work hard.”

And now she looks to move on to the next goal.

“[Winning a Slam] was my dream. There is still so many things to achieve. There is still many goals, you know, I have.”

She added: “Now having two Grand Slam titles, it’s definitely give me more confidence and believe in myself. I just have this knowing that all my life it wasn’t, like, wasting of time and I was doing the right thing. I’m where I’m meant to be, so that’s really important.”

But having those titles does not make her more relaxed or less thrilled about victory.

“You know what? I actually felt after last year [having one Slam title is] going to help me to be more free and don’t care about things, and blah, blah, blah. But not really. You still feel the same. You still want it badly and you still working very hard for it, and you still have to show up and fight for it and show your best level.

“So I feel like, because before I was watching all these champions crying after each slam, I was, like, Come on, you’ve done it, like, 15 times. Why are you still crying? Right now, I didn’t even get to that point, but I feel like I understand why they still crying. Because every time, the same pressure, the same expectations. You want it same way. So it’s always emotional. “

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