Aryna Sabalenka, says she is “fresh and ready to go” in her attempt for a third consecutive Australian Open title, but she admits she has a lot of space for development. The 26-year-old had a great 2024, making seven finals and winning four titles, including the US Open. Her year began with defending her Australian Open title, defeating China’s high-flying Zheng Qinwen in the final.
If the World No.1 wins it again, she will become the first woman to win three consecutive Melbourne Park singles titles since Martina Hingis in 1997-1999. Sabalenka also began 2024 in Brisbane, reaching the final without dropping a set before falling to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the decider. She spent the off-season at home in Florida before travelling to the Middle East to prepare for Australia.
She will use the Brisbane tournament to tune her Grand Slam preparations. Despite climbing through the rankings to become the player to beat in 2025, Aryna Sabalenka admitted there were still areas of her game that needed improvement.
Critics Question Sabalenka’s Mental Game
The Belarusian said, “I feel fresh and ready to go. I love Australia and I always come here hungry and always come here ready. I feel all the support here, and I think that’s the best thing about Australia, that people are, really, into tennis. You work hard on lots of things in the pre-season. The first tournament before the major tournament is where you can try it out and see what’s going to work well for you, and what’s not.”
“Oh, there are so many things to improve. I’m not that good with maybe my game at the net in singles. There are a lot of things to improve in my touch game. There are so many things, even my serve is not as good as I want it to be, so there are always (elements) to improve.”
