Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s second-ranked women’s tennis player, believes that she can maintain her fine form during the upcoming clay season. Despite suffering a shock defeat in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, Sabalenka is confident that she can get back to her winning ways by focusing on her game and ignoring the noise on social media.
Sabalenka had been one of the favorites to win the Miami Open, considering her dominant form early in the year. However, she suffered a 6-4, 6-4 defeat at the hands of 74th-ranked Sorana Cirstea in the quarterfinals. The loss came as a surprise to many fans and analysts who had been impressed by Sabalenka’s performance in recent tournaments.
Speaking ahead of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which begins on April 17th, Sabalenka emphasized the importance of focusing on her game and ignoring the noise on social media. “The key would be just to focus on myself, don’t think about social media, don’t think about the people, expectations. Just focus on myself. Just do my thing, and I believe that if I’m going to play the same level or even better, wins will come,” she said.
Sabalenka acknowledged that the first part of the 2023 season had been tough for her, but she was ready to learn from her mistakes, reset, and start working hard again. She was looking forward to the upcoming clay season and was determined to bring her best tennis to the court.
Reflecting on her defeat to Cirstea in Miami, Sabalenka admitted that she had not played her best tennis. She struggled with the heat and felt that the balls were flying too much, making it difficult to control them. Despite her struggles, Sabalenka fought hard till the last point but was unable to adjust to the conditions.
In both sets, Sabalenka was down by an early break, but she managed to recover from the deficit. However, she lost her serve again, allowing Cirstea to clinch the victory. With the defeat, Cirstea secured her first win against a top-2 player, making the victory all the more significant.
Sabalenka’s focus on herself and determination to improve her game will be crucial in the upcoming clay season. She has been in excellent form in recent months and will be looking to bounce back from her Miami Open defeat. As one of the top players in women’s tennis, Sabalenka is always a threat on any surface and will be a player to watch during the clay season.