Aryna Sabalenka insists she tried not to think much about the Year-End No. 1 ranking at the WTA Finals but after she managed secure it and saw all the headlines and heard all the chatter, it distracted her and led to two surprising losses.
Coming into the season-ending tournament, the two-time Australian Open champion’s lead was 1,046 ranking points over Iga Swiatek. And the 26-year-old had everything in her hands and the majority of scenarios were favoring her.
At the start of her Riyadh campaign, Sabalenka won her first two matches and the expectation was that the Pole would beat Coco Gauff and also improve to 2-0. But then, the four-time French Open champion lost to the American so the Belarusian didn’t anymore need to win her group-stage finale to clinch the world No. 1 finish in 2024.
That mentally impacted this year’s US Open winner, who lost to Elena Rybakina in three sets in her last Round Robin match. Then, she was also bounced by Gauff in the semifinal. Before the losses to the Kazakh and the American, the Belarusian tennis star had won 22 of her past 23 matches. Also, she didn’t have any back-to-back losses previously in the season.
After concluding her ATP Finals campaign, the 26-year-old joined Andy Roddick on the latest episode of his podcast and there she opened up about what happened.
“I wasn’t really focused on the No. 1 ranking, and what I should do to finish the year as world number one. I didn’t do that, I was like, whatever. They asked me, do you know what you have to do to finish the year as world number one? I was like no and don’t tell me, please. I don’t want to know that I just wanted to focus on my tennis and just stay focused. You see, after winning two matches, the news was everywhere, and I was just like please, don’t do that to me. That’s probably why I kind of lost my focus. I don’t know, at that moment I felt like I did everything I could in this season. I don’t have any energy left to compete and to fight,” Sabalenka said on the Served with Andy Roddick.
Sabalenka admitted she wasn’t motivated against Rybakina
Usually, the Belarusian and the Kazakh tennis star play tight matches so there is never a big favorite in their matchup. This time, many had the new world No. 1 as the favorite considering that she was in outstanding form while the 2022 Wimbledon champion lost her first two matches and was playing her first tournament in two months.
But when the match finished, it was Rybakina who completed a 6-4 3-6 6-1 win. Speaking to reporters afterward, Sabalenka very honestly admitted that she wasn’t motivated because in the back of her mind she knew that she had nothing to play for.
“Well, honestly, this is something I have to learn. How to keep myself motivated and hungry and being 100% on in this kind of matches when you know that you’re already in the semis and the only motivation for you is points and money. But that was tricky,” she said post-match.
Sabalenka recalls being labeled ‘one-dimensional’
From very early in her career, it was clear that the Belarusian would be a hard-hitter and probably one of the most powerful players on the WTA Tour. However, some doubted her capabilities and wondered if she would only rely on her strength and power.
Now, it is safe to say that the 26-year-old proved her doubters wrong. Since the start of 2023, the Belarusian has landed three Majors and also became the world No. 1 for the first time in her career.
“I came on tour as the as the hard-hitter and I’ve been told, I don’t know for most time of my career that I’m not talented and I only can hit balls and I’m good at the baseline probably and I have to work on that consistency and I’m a big server and that’s it. I was just a hard worker, I could stay the whole day in court and keep working, keep trying to find the right shot and the right technique for me. Then we started working with my with my coach who’s actually quite young but I saw this vision of me that I can actually be, not only an aggressive player but I can defend, I can use the slice. I would say finally things started working together,” Sabalenka told Roddick.
Meanwhile, the three-time Grand Slam champion’s 2024 season is officially finished and her next official tournament is set to be the United Cup, which takes place in the first week of the new season.
