Sabalenka: “I need to work even harder now because I feel like I am a target for everyone”

Aryna Sabalenka knows she’s now being chased, not the chaser

Zuma/Panoramic

October 28, 2023

After a year in which she won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and reached world No 1 for the first time, Aryna Sabalenka could be forgiven if she thought she might be able to take her foot off the gas and enjoy life at the top.

As she prepares to try to win the WTA Finals in Cancun for the first time, the Belarusian says she’s trying to stay the same player she was before she achieved two of her lifelong goals.

But it’s not that easy, it seems, and Sabalenka knows that as she heads into her last event of the year, she is the one everyone will want to beat.

“It’s not that different, to be honest,” she said of being No 1. “I mean, you’re No 1, you’re No 2. If you’re in the top 10, it’s just the same. You’re a top-10 player. I think ranking, it’s just ranking, you know? It’s not like I go on court right now and everyone will be, Okay, I’m not playing, you’re No. 1, good luck in the next round.

“It’s not changing anything. I still need to work hard. I still need to bring my best tennis on court. I think I even need to work more because right now I feel like I’m a target for everyone. It’s not changing anything. I’m still working hard, trying to improve.”

“You have to focus on yourself at WTA Finals”

Sabalenka, who sits 630 points ahead of Iga Swiatek in the battle to be year-end No 1, said the round-robin format offers its own challenges.

“If you win the first match, you have to stop counting, thinking what should I do to, I don’t know, get out of the group,” she said. “You just have to focus on yourself and your game, just stop thinking. That’s the main thing, just focus on your game.

“You don’t have to overdo things here in the Finals. It’s just another tournament, yet different format. You just have to focus on yourself and try to do your best.”