NEW YORK – After the heartbreak of losing the finals at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Aryna Sabalenka sought some sweeter moments in the Greek islands. There she hit pause, reflected, and refreshed her goals. How could she finish the year without a Grand Slam title?
In tennis, being world No. 1 is not necessarily synonymous with winning the biggest trophies. And the Belarusian wasn’t willing to let that happen: “I knew that with all the hard work we put in, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season.”
After defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) in the final, Sabalenka dropped to her knees on the hard court of Arthur Ashe Stadium. This victory felt different from her other three major titles.
“After the finals earlier in the season, this one felt different. I had to overcome a lot to get this one,” she admitted to reporters in New York.
Following her frustrating loss in Paris against Coco Gauff – where she declared during the trophy ceremony that she had played “terrible tennis” – she travelled to Mykonos with her partner to ease the pain and figure out how to turn things around.
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“I was in Mykonos, reading my book, enjoying the view (laughing), and I was just thinking: why would I let my emotions take control over me in those two finals? I felt like if I made it to the final, it meant I was going to win it, and I sort of didn’t expect my opponents to come out and fight. I thought everything was going to go easily my way, which was a completely wrong mindset.”
“Here in New York my mindset was just to go out there, fight for every point. Doesn’t matter the situation. Just focus on myself and on the things I needed to do to win the match,” said Sabalenka, who has now reached each of the last six Grand Slam finals on hard courts.
Having achieved her goal, it is time to celebrate.
“Our best celebration? The one after the 2024 US Open. We had a lot of friends in town. I can’t give too many details (laughs), but it was an amazing party and a really special night,” Georgio Frangulis told CLAY during the tournament.
The bar is set high, but Sabalenka – who walked into her press conference with a champagne bottle in hand and took a sip in front of the journalists – has already warned that tonight she will celebrate with few limits.
Speaking on ESPN’s set just minutes after lifting the trophy, she said: “I’m going to drink a lot. That’s for sure. I deserve it, after so much work and effort. It’s necessary to let the emotions out.”
