Aryna Sabalenka is backtracking on her previous statement that she was going to be “boring” as the Belarusian admits not many things have changed when it comes to her on-court passion and energy.
In the past, the world No. 2 had some very difficult defeats on the biggest stage – most notably, she lost her first three Grand Slam semifinals and it was clear that the pressure and nerves were too much for her to handle in those matches. But when the 2023 season started, she impressively won Adelaide without a dropped set and also reached the Australian Open final without a lost set before creating a comeback win over Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 for her maiden Major title.
At the time, Sabalenka credited “becoming boring” for her newfound success.
“I think my calmness on the court. That’s pretty much it. I was just ready for everything. Whatever’s going to happen on court, I’m ready for that. I think this is the key. I wish I would have been like that a few years ago. Finally, I understand what everyone was looking for and asking for. I need to be a little bit boring on court. It’s still about a lot of positive emotions for me, but I’m trying to stay away from negative and just fight for every point,” the 26-year-old said during the 2023 Australian Open.
