Aryna Sabalenka reflected on her quarterfinal win at the 2024 US Open and the challenges of being a tournament favorite during a press conference. She expressed her happiness to be seen as a contender but emphasized the importance of mental preparation and having the right people, including her coach, around her.
Sabalenka also discussed her upcoming match against Emma Navarro, acknowledging their contrasting playing styles and the intensity of their past encounters.
Sabalenka explained that she had become a more experienced player with better consistency and less pressure, allowing her to enjoy the journey. She also shared an unusual training routine of betting money during practice sessions to simulate match pressure and a story about losing and winning back 5,000. Sabalenka was surprised and determined to play her best tennis despite having Roger Federer in the stands during a slam match.
Sabalenka at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked no.2, Sabalenka owns a composed 44-11 record in 2024. Sabalenka is now competing at the U.S. Open where she bested the world no.203 Priscilla Hon 6-3 6-3, the world no.76 Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-1, the world no.31 Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6 6-1 6-2, the world no.35 Elise Mertens 6-2 6-4 and the world no.7 Qinwen Zheng 6-1 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka will face the world no.12 Emma Navarro in the semifinal. Their current head to head is 1-1.
Aryna conquered 2 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open and Cincinnati. Sabalenka was the runner-up in Brisbane (Brisbane International), in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) and in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia).
Aryna won 15 titles in her career: 11 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)