Sabalenka vows to be ready for Serena
Aryna Sabalenka’s mind was full of doubts before playing Serena Williams for the first time at the Australian Open but the feisty Belarusian has vowed to be mentally much stronger going into her next contest against the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
The strongly built Sabalenka finished last year with trophies at Ostrava and Linz and arrived in Melbourne for the year’s first Grand Slam after picking up her third straight title at a WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi.
Sabalenka did not drop a set in her first three rounds before going down in three against the 39-year-old American in the fourth last month.
The 22-year-old showed plenty of steel to fight back from 4-1 down in the decider to level the match but her nerves finally gave way when she committed an array of errors while serving to stay in the match trailing 5-4.
“I felt like I missed my opportunity because I feel like if you are coming back from 1-4 and you’re kind of feeling your game and you’re there, you’re fighting, you just have to take this opportunity,” Sabalenka told reporters in Doha.
“I felt like mentally I was a little bit up and she was down. I would say it was not really smart mistakes from me.
“But it was good experience because I never played against these kind of champions like Serena.
“And going on the court, I was kind of like thinking what’s going to happen, how she’s playing, what’s her power and all this stuff.
“Then I step in on the court and I understand, like, ‘wow, actually I can play her, I can beat her’.”
Sabalenka, who will defend her Qatar Open title this week, managed to match Williams’s power from the baseline but felt her approach was not right.
“I can guarantee that my mindset will be different going on the court,” the world No 8 said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen on the court, but I know that my mindset will be much stronger than last time.
“Now I know what to expect from her and now I know where her level is. I think, yeah, it will be different next time.”
Meanwhile, world No 1 Ash Barty has withdrawn from next week’s Dubai Tennis Championships to continue her recovery from a left leg injury, the Australian said.
The 24-year-old, who also pulled out of this week’s Qatar Open in Doha for the same reason, struggled with a left thigh strain throughout last month’s Australian Open, where she was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
“Unfortunately I have withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” Barty said.
“I wish the tournament a safe and successful event and hope to play there next year.
“Thank you to the event organisers and the WTA for all the work you are doing, I look forward to competing again in Miami in a few weeks’ time.”