World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka has made the tough decision to sit out the upcoming Paris Olympics. Speaking at the ecotrans Ladies Open, the reigning Australian Open champion emphasized the importance of self-care and preparing for the demanding hard-court summer ahead.
“Especially with all the struggles I’ve been dealing with over the last few months, I feel I have to take care of my health,” Sabalenka explained. “It’s too much for the scheduling, and I made the decision to take care of my health.”
This year’s Olympic tennis event will be held on clay for the first time since Barcelona in 1992, requiring players to transition from grass at Wimbledon to the clay courts of Roland Garros, and then back to the North American hard courts. The hard-court summer features two back-to-back WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, followed by the US Open, where Sabalenka was a finalist last year.
“I prefer to have a little rest to ensure I’m physically and health-wise ready for the hard courts,” Sabalenka said. “I’ll have good preparation before going into the hard court season. I feel that this is safer and better for my body.”
Currently the No. 2 seed in Berlin, Sabalenka is playing her first tournament since her quarterfinal loss at Roland Garros, where she struggled with a stomach illness against Mirra Andreeva.
“It was the worst experience I’ve had on court,” she recalled. “I’ve played while being ill, I’ve played with injuries, but when you have a stomach bug and no energy to play, especially in the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, it was a really terrible experience. But it is how it is.”
To recuperate, Sabalenka took a few days to rest and recover. She has since started her grass-court preparation with a week of training at Aorangi Park at Wimbledon. Despite the initial adjustment, Sabalenka is confident in her ability to perform well on grass. Though she has yet to win a title on this surface, she is already a two-time semifinalist at Wimbledon.
“We just don’t play enough on grass, so I don’t have enough opportunities to win a title,” Sabalenka noted. “It’s not that I feel bad; I’ve had some good results on grass, and I feel really good. I think grass actually suits my game well.”
Sabalenka will kick off her Berlin campaign against No. 14 Daria Kasatkina in the second round. Sabalenka’s decision to skip the Olympics reflects her focus on maintaining her health and ensuring peak performance for the crucial tournaments ahead.
Aryna Sabalenka in 2024
Currently the world no.3, Aryna played her last match on the 5th of June when she was overcome by world no.23 Mirra Andreeva 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 in the quarter of the French Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season Sabalenka achieved a composed 29-8 record. Sabalenka has won 1 title at the Australian Open. Aryna was the finalist in Brisbane, Madrid and Rome.
Aryna Sabalenka will face the world no.14 Darya Kasatkina in the 2nd round. Their record is 6-2 for Sabalenka.
The Belarussian clinched 1 title in 2024 at the Australian Open. Aryna was the runner-up in Brisbane (Brisbane International), in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) and in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia).
The Belarussian won 14 titles in her career: 10 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Aryna Sabalenka |
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