Aryna Sabalenka, currently competing in the North American hard-court swing, recently opened up about the challenging period she faced during her injury hiatus. The Belarusian was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon at the last minute due to a shoulder injury, a decision that was made after she experienced severe pain during her final practice session on the day she was scheduled to play her first-round match.
Sabalenka, who had a strong start to the season with a Grand Slam victory in Australia, was understandably disappointed to miss out on Wimbledon. The absence from the grass-court major not only cost her a chance to reclaim the World No. 2 ranking from Coco Gauff but also interrupted her impressive streak of reaching at least the semifinals in every Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open. This streak was notably ended by Mirra Andreeva in the Roland Garros quarterfinals earlier this year.
In a recent interview with Tennis Channel following her dominant win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka provided an update on her recovery. She explained that she spent a significant portion of her days rehabbing her shoulder, which required extensive treatment due to the demands placed on it by the physical nature of her game.
Although Sabalenka maintained an active presence on social media during her injury break, sharing moments from her vacation in Europe with her boyfriend, she clarified that it was far from an ideal situation. “I wouldn’t say so, honestly. Like it was really tough being injured and not being able to compete at Wimbledon. I was so ready to go, but unfortunately, it is what it is,” she remarked.
She further elaborated on her rigorous rehabilitation routine, stating, “I did a lot of rehabs and even though it looks like I had vacation life, like almost half of the day, I was doing treatments, rehab, exercising, like a lot of stuff to make sure that this will never happen again.”
When asked if the injury might have been a blessing in disguise, allowing her a rare mid-season break, Sabalenka acknowledged the silver lining. She used the time to recharge after an intense first half of 2024, which saw her play nearly 40 matches. “But yeah, I had a couple of days where I just really enjoyed myself and just tried to separate myself from tennis… So yeah, it was kind of like a lot of rehab stuff, and at the same time, I was able to kind of like enjoy my life.”
Despite earlier concerns about the injury resurfacing after she reported soreness in her comeback tournament in Washington, Sabalenka appeared in strong form in her Cincinnati opener. She now faces a significant challenge in her next match against Elina Svitolina, which will further test her recovery and readiness for the remainder of the season.
Sabalenka in Cincinnati, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked world no.3, Aryna owns a compiled 35-11 win-loss record in 2024. The Belarussian is currently having a run in Cincinnati where she conquered Unknown Player bye and the world no.66 Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka will take on the world no.263 Petra Kvitova in the final on Saturday at 6:00 pm on CENTRE COURT. Their record is 3-2 for Kvitova.
The Belarussian clinched 1 title in 2024 at the Australian Open. Sabalenka got to the final in Brisbane (Brisbane International), in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) and in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia).
Sabalenka 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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