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Aryna Sabalenka, whose 2024 season began with a win at the Australian Open but was later cut short by heartbreak and injury, has found new joy as she aims to end the year on a high at the US Open. The 26-year-old from Belarus, who missed Wimbledon with a shoulder injury, won her first title since the Australian Open in January in Cincinnati last week. She recorded a confidence-boosting win over world number one Iga Swiatek and played with the hard-won joy that comes from a better balance in her life.
“This happiness has come with experience and understanding of a lot of things,” Sabalenka said Friday, ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam, the U.S. Open, which begins Monday at Flushing Meadows.
“Because before I was maybe too immersed in tennis and trying to concentrate too much, which put too much pressure on myself.
“Recently I realised that things don’t work like that. You have to balance this hard work, these expectations, pressure and everything with a little happiness.
“You have to find things that make you happy, and I have my crazy team and we have a lot of fun together.”
This year has taken a difficult turn for Sabalenka following the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov in March.
Sabalenka said that looking back, she would have possibly benefited from taking some time off, rather than sticking to her planned schedule.
“I definitely think I should have quit and distanced myself from tennis, taken a little break and recharged and started things over,” she said.
“I think I played too much and under too much pressure. In the end, I got hurt and also, I was sick, I was injured. I had stomach problems at the French Open.
“Health-wise I was struggling a lot.”
Sabalenka said the rest she was given due to her shoulder injury was exactly what she needed.
“It’s not that I’m happy to be injured, but I’m happy I got time off and got my mind back on track,” he said.
The benefits were evident in Cincinnati, where she squandered nine match points to beat Swiatek in the semifinals.
It was ideal preparation as she looks to improve on her second-place finish to Coco Gauff in last year’s U.S. Open final.
“After the Cincinnati title I definitely felt good. It was very important for me to win that title and get the win,” said Sabalenka, seeded second in New York, who will begin her campaign against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.
“The first two tournaments were tough for the (back) shoulder. But I’m really happy that things went well for me in Cincinnati, and I’m confident in the hard work we did. I’m sure I won’t get injured again.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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