Sabalenka explains biggest change to her game: “I’m going for bigger targets”

The Belarusian still goes for big cuts but is doing so with more tactical nous

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March 12, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka‘s success over the past couple of years has been the result of many things, including hard work, the eradication of the yips from her serve and some tactical nous.

One of the biggest hitters in the women’s game, if not the biggest, in the past, Sabalenka could always be relied upon for a stack of mistakes, the laws of physics refusing to bend to her will.

But in the last two years, in particular, the Belarusian has made a tactical switch in her mind that has brought her renewed success, including two Australian Open titles. She still goes for broke, but she does it with tactical nous.

“I think the biggest change was that mentally I changed a lot, and that’s allows me to focus on myself on those points,” Sabalenka told reporters after a hard-fought 6-3, 7-5 win over Emma Raducanu in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday. She plays Emma Navarro next.

“You know, instead of try to overdo things, thinking, like, ‘I have to do something extra during this point, it’s very important point’, I’m not putting that pressure on myself. It’s just another point. And I just have to keep doing what I was doing the whole match, and I’m going to get this point.”

Sabalenka BRILLIANCE from court level 💫@SabalenkaA | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/ZbjGqqsEEL
— wta (@WTA) March 11, 2024

Focusing on herself

Sabalenka can still be volatile on court but more often than not, when she needs to, she puts away her emotions and concentrates on the matter at hand.

“So I think I’m able to focus on myself, and not overdo things, you know. Just playing the bigger targets, yes, still swing the ball, still go for big shots but in the bigger targets, for example. Sometimes I hit it not perfectly targets and it goes to the line, you know, so just kind of, like, changing my focus.”

“I feel like I just better understand the moments, like when I can go big and when I have to go in the big targets, you know, like. I think that’s the biggest change that I have this understanding, like, where I can go full and where I have to step back and go to the bigger targets.”