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Aryna Sabalenka has consistently emphasised that she has changed mentally throughout the incredible victory streak she has amassed to begin this season. She is now more collected and willing to work for her possibilities rather than aimlessly swinging for the fences. Those ideals were put to the ultimate test in her first grand slam singles final when she was down a set against the Wimbledon champion. Sabalenka did not falter despite being under extreme strain until the dramatic final game. Sabalenka won the Australian Open by defeating Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a contest that featured bold, aggressive shotmaking from both players. She did this by concentrating on finding solutions.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sabalenka, a native of Belarus, is the only neutral sportsperson to triumph in a singles grand slam competition. When asked if her triumph was diminished by not having the flag next to her name, Sabalenka shrugged, saying, “I think everyone still recognises that I’m a Belarusian player. There you go. The fifth seed will equal her career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world rankings after winning her first major championship. Sabalenka is still unbeaten in 2023 after winning her first 11 games and collecting two championships.
In the early going, Rybakina’s Wimbledon expertise helped her advance as the 23-year-old won the first set. Even though she had just lost a set, Sabalenka remained emotionless. Sabalenka was aware that she would have the upper hand over Rybakina in any neutral rally with to her far heavier ball, her capacity to combine pace and spin, and her superior athleticism. Sabalenka broke service to take the lead at 3-1 and held on through several tense games to force a deciding set. She did this as she started to read the Kazakhstani’s serve and punish her second serve.
Earlier this year, during one of her most challenging phases of her career, Sabalenka travelled to Australia. She had lost all communication with her serve. She could not serve, so she spent her time in Adelaide chucking in underarm serves. In her four matches in Melbourne, she committed 56 double fumbles. By February, she should have found a replacement, according to her instructor Anton Dubrov. “All he said was, “I don’t know what to do. I believe you should look for another person who will assist you. Yet I was aware that it wasn’t about him. Just something about me, I guess. I just need to identify the issue. We must overcome it, she urged.
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All of those choices have proven to be profitable. She put a lot of reliance on her serve to survive the close closing games on Saturday. She served 17 aces in addition to the astounding ratio of 51 victories to just 28 errors in a major final. Rybakina herself produced some of her greatest weeks, despite being outplayed at the end. She produced outstanding tennis over the entire fortnight, and more significantly, she quickly followed up her victory at Wimbledon. She will move up one spot in the rankings on Monday, from 25th to No. 10, breaking the top 10 for the first time in her career.
