Sabalenka Seeks to Revalidate Crown at US Open: Will the Champion Succeed?

Aryna Sabalenka Seeks Redemption at the US Open After a Summer of Reflection

While Iga Swiatek celebrated her title at Wimbledon, Aryna Sabalenka was thousands of kilometers away, enjoying the beaches of Mykonos, Greece. A paradisiacal setting that, despite its beauty, was not exactly where the Belarusian tennis player wanted to be. Two days before, Sabalenka had fought on the center court of Wimbledon, seeking her first final in this prestigious tournament. The defeat in three sets against Amanda Anisimova prompted her to seek a well-deserved rest, far from London and any tennis court. Although her season, which included finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, as well as 1000-level titles in Miami and Madrid, would be considered a resounding success for most players, Sabalenka couldn’t avoid the disappointment of falling short in a Grand Slam tournament once again. The 27-year-old tennis player knew that the “beautiful beach, crystal clear water, and excellent food” of the Greek island were just what she needed to recharge her batteries. For seven days, Sabalenka dedicated herself to swimming, reading, resting, and, as she herself says, “doing nothing.” This downtime, uncommon in such a demanding season, allowed her to process everything that had happened throughout the year.

“It really gave me time to think about my approach to the big matches, the mentality I have, the mentality I need, and how it’s different from the previous matches, and what needs to stay the same,” Sabalenka stated. “I realized that I need to respect my opponent a little more, really fight for every point, but I also need to respect myself more.”

Aryna Sabalenka

Now, in her second tournament after her vacation and a brief rest, Sabalenka returns to New York with the intention of defending her 2024 US Open title and closing the Grand Slam season at the top. On Wednesday, she defeated Polina Kudermetova with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-2, in a night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, advancing to the third round. With five matches to go, which will undoubtedly become increasingly competitive in their pursuit of a coveted fourth Grand Slam trophy, Sabalenka will rely more than ever on her renewed mentality and the lessons learned.

Sabalenka has faced challenges that go beyond her 27 years. The sudden loss of her father in 2019 and the devastating suicide of her ex-partner Konstantin Koltsov in 2024 are just some of the difficult moments she has overcome. On the court, she struggled with problems with her serve in 2022, to the point of considering retirement. In addition, in 2023, she faced criticism for her relationship with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and her country’s role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Added to this are numerous injuries and the difficulty in maintaining motivation on the circuit. Despite everything, Sabalenka believes these experiences have made her more resilient. However, in the crucial moments of the most important matches this year, such as against Madison Keys at the Australian Open or Gauff in the Roland Garros final, she failed to show that strength. Instead of trusting herself, she felt overwhelmed by the pressure, doubting her decisions and holding back when executing her shots. After losing to Keys in Melbourne, Sabalenka smashed her racket in frustration, in front of the fans. “I just completely forget what I’ve been through and my strength, and instead, doubts and all the negativity take over,” she said. “And that’s because I don’t really respect myself enough.” That frustration, combined with the exhaustion that accumulated with each tournament during the grueling clay and grass seasons in Europe, made it clear to Sabalenka that something had to change before her title defense in New York. There would be no tennis in Mykonos or training. She wanted to miss the sport and reconnect with her true identity off the court. She knew that was the only way to have a chance of winning the US Open.

While resting on a sun lounger during the sixth day of her trip, although she didn’t miss tennis itself, she felt guilty for not exercising. She decided to go to the hotel gym in a bikini and flip-flops. She walked for 30 minutes on the inclined treadmill. She felt great and tired, and was able to enjoy the food without feeling guilty.

Although she didn’t train during the trip, she did post on social media. In recent years, Sabalenka has found joy in content creation. Often accompanied by members of her team, who have become recognizable figures on social media, Sabalenka participates in various dances and trends on TikTok, and shares photos and snippets of her life on Instagram.

Sabalenka sharing moments from her trip on social media.

Known for her aggressive and powerful playing style and her intimidating grunts on the court, she has enjoyed the opportunity to show her followers who she really is. The experience and the response have been so positive that this summer she started her own YouTube series, called “Aryna’s Arena”. The seventh episode, focused on her pre-US Open activities, was released this week. After her comments following the Roland Garros final were, according to her, misinterpreted, Sabalenka believes that the channel has allowed followers to get to know her better as a person.

“I love to share myself,” she said. “I love to just show myself and make sure that the next time people go to the court to support me, they know that ‘Okay, she’s crazy right now, she’s focused, she’s screaming, but we know the other side of Aryna.’ So I just want to feel a little bit more connected with the people.”

Aryna Sabalenka

It has also allowed her to direct her energy towards something other than tennis. Sabalenka participates in much of the production, from creating ideas for the episodes to determining the ideal length of each one. The series has over a million total views at the time of writing this article.

In her early years on the circuit, Sabalenka struggled to regain her form on the court after a break. She wanted everything to be perfect as soon as she returned and would get upset if it wasn’t. But that’s no longer the case. Now she embraces the initial discomfort. “Nowadays I take it easy, I’m not in a hurry,” said Sabalenka. “We don’t go crazy with the intensity. We just try to slowly remind my body: ‘Okay, this is what you really do for a living.’ And with this mentality, one, two hits and you feel the rhythm of the movement, the feeling of the ball, back”.

Sabalenka chose not to participate in the Canadian Open, which began at the end of July, and cited fatigue in her formal announcement, explaining that the decision would give her “the best chance of success this season.” While her colleagues were in Montreal, Sabalenka trained in Miami, her base of operations, with her team. The extra time allowed her to truly recover, and prepare mentally and physically for New York. She returned in Cincinnati, also as defending champion, and was eager to get back on the court. She won her first three matches, including a thrilling three-set match against Emma Raducanu, but ultimately lost to Elena Rybakina, 6-1, 6-4, in the quarterfinals. While Rybakina was boosted by a particularly dominant serve, Sabalenka never seemed to find any momentum in the match and barely resembled the untouchable force she had been elsewhere in the season and in 2024. That performance, combined with his results throughout the season, hasn’t exactly generated confidence about his chances of lifting the trophy next week. “He’s been consistent and has reached the end of these major tournaments, but nerves have gotten in the way,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, former world No. 4 and current ESPN analyst, before the US Open. “I feel like in the last few weeks he’s been struggling a bit. I feel like his backhand, which is usually a strength, is failing him a lot. We’ll see if he puts it together mentally.” Of course, things can change quickly in tennis. And Sabalenka is more capable than most of changing things quickly. “If she plays well, obviously watch out,” Fernandez added. “She can take the racket away from anyone.” In her first two matches, Sabalenka has seemed, at times, as formidable a rival as anyone in the draw. While her match against Kudermetova was far from her best performance, and she was broken in the opening game and needed a tiebreak to secure the first set, she still found a way to win. Even when she was clearly frustrated at several points. She later said that she reminded herself that “every point can be a key moment of the set” and that understanding motivated her to keep playing aggressively and maintain mental strength. She left little doubt about who was the best player in the second set. Sabalenka currently has the second-best odds of winning the tournament, behind only Swiatek, according to ESPN Bet. On Friday, she will face Leylah Fernandez in the third round, in a rematch of their semi-final match from four years ago. Rybakina or Raducanu could await her, and be her true test, in the quarter-finals. Sabalenka has made it clear how much she wants to win again at the US Open. She has repeatedly called it her favorite tournament and it has been her only goal for the last few months. Hearing her introduced to the crowd as the reigning champion, and the subsequent reception from the public, has only made her want it even more. But nothing in tennis is guaranteed, no matter how much someone wants it. Sabalenka knows she could leave empty-handed, once again, and end her year without a Grand Slam title. And for someone who has been through so much, that would also be okay.

For now, anyway.

“Of course, ideally I would love to finish the season with a Grand Slam and the world number 1 [at the end of the year],” Sabalenka said before the tournament began. “But I think that if this goal is not achieved, I will still think that this season has been really incredible for me. All those hard lessons I learned this season will only make me stronger for the next one. I will work even harder in the preseason to make sure that next year is only a year full of successes, like a true success.”