Aryna Sabalenka establishes fresh objectives following her second Australian Open victory

Aryna Sabalenka is confident that her success at the Australian Open can extend to other grand slams, having secured a second consecutive title in Melbourne. 

While she remains the world number two behind Iga Swiatek, there’s potential for her ranking to shift this year if Sabalenka sustains her remarkable performance across major tournaments.

Over the past five Grand Slam tournaments, Sabalenka clinched two titles, made it to the final at the US Open on hard courts, and consistently reached at least the semifinals without any losses before that stage. Meanwhile, Swiatek’s sole journey to the last four resulted in successfully defending her French Open title.

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Defeating Swiatek at Roland Garros poses a significant challenge for Sabalenka, but her skills are well-suited for grass. With improved composure, she had the potential to reach all four finals last year.

The 25-year-old expressed, “Last year, I demonstrated my ability to perform well on every type of surface. In those two semi-finals, my emotions got the better of me. Despite facing incredible opponents who played at an exceptional level, I allowed those opportunities to slip away due to heightened emotions. However, I firmly believe that with the ongoing dedication to my current work ethic and the continued development of our strategies, I can excel on both clay and grass courts. I will persist in working hard, aiming to achieve similar success this year.”

Sabalenka had an impressive two weeks, securing victory in all seven matches without dropping a set. Only Coco Gauff in the semi-finals managed to take more than five games off her.

Laura Robson, the former British number one, commented on Eurosport, saying, “Delivering such a remarkable performance over the two weeks, consistently improving, I sense that other players in the locker room might be feeling a bit uneasy about the rest of the season.” Sabalenka shows no indication of contentment with just two titles, and her composed dismantling of the competition is sure to make her rivals reflect deeply on their own strategies.

She is currently two Grand Slam titles behind Swiatek and was relieved not to be labeled as a one-time champion.

“It has been on my mind not to become the player who wins once and then fades away,” she remarked. “I wanted to prove that I can consistently perform at a high level and secure another victory. Ideally, I hope to achieve more than two, but this second title was particularly significant for me.”

Her coaches share Sabalenka’s aspirations. Fitness trainer Jason Stacy mentioned, “While we each have our coaching roles, during and immediately after the match, we are already discussing the areas that need improvement.”

As a symbol of commitment, Stacy has been walking around Melbourne Park with Sabalenka’s signature, personally written by the world number two, on his bald head.

As a part of the team’s strategy to maintain a lighthearted and enjoyable atmosphere off the court, Stacy is open to playful gestures, but he is hesitant about the next proposal.

“There might be more to come,” he remarked. “Now there’s talk about getting a tattoo of this on my head. I’m a bit uncertain about that. Each tournament, we come up with something to do, and we just roll with it.”