Aryna Sabalenka worked on her all-court game after losing to Coco Gauff in the US Open 2023 final, as former tennis star Andrea Petkovic recently claimed.
Despite winning the opening set, Sabalenka was defeated by Gauff in the final match. Gauff was motivated by the loud cheers of the New York audience. After lengthy exchanges in which Gauff forced a stunning 46 unintentional errors out of the Belarusian, the match ended in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory that gave Gauff the title.
Petkovic recently said in a podcast episode that Sabalenka’s second consecutive Australian Open victory came about as a result of adding variation to her game following her defeat at Flushing Meadows.
Petkovic said: “I honestly think that loss against Coco Gauff in the US Open final was the best thing that happened to her [Sabalenka] because I had the chance to interview her right after she won the Australian Open. I asked her, ‘Aryna, you look much more like an all-court player. What happened in the off-season, like, what was your thought process?”
She added: “She said, ‘You know what? When I lost to Coco, I realized I needed a B plan. I was hitting the ball well. I was playing well, but Coco was getting everything back, and I just at one point didn’t know how to win a point anymore or how to make a winner. So, I was working on my net game. I was working on more variety.”
Coco Gauff in 2024
Currently ranked no.3 (career-high), Coco played her last match on the 22nd
of February when she lost to world no.24 Anna Kalinskaya 2-6 6-4 6-2 in the quarter in Dubai (draw).Presently, during this year Coco owns a 12-3 win-loss record. Coco conquered 1 title in Auckland.
Gauff has scheduled to play next in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open). She will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 4th of March.
Aryna Sabalenka in 2024
Now the world no.2, the Belarussian played her last match on the 20th of February when she lost to world no.28 Donna Vekic 6-7(5) 6-3 6-0 in the 2nd round in Dubai (draw).
During this season Aryna owns a compiled 11-2 match record. Aryna clinched 1 title at the Australian Open. Sabalenka got to the final in Brisbane.
Sabalenka has scheduled to play next in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open). She will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 4th of March.
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka clashed against each other 7 times. Their actual record is 4-3 for Gauff. The last time they competed against each other, Aryna Sabalenka won 7-6(2) 6-4 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 25th of January 2024.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka |
| Embed from Getty Images |