Posted:
11.11.2024 15:31:40
Sabalenka finished season as WTA No.1
Our hands are dirty while yours are bloody… Aryna Sabalenka drew the line under her performance at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, saying, “I have achieved a lot this season, there is no room for disappointment. I just have to be proud of myself.” Although she wasn’t able to win the title at the final tournament of the year, the Belarusian star did clinch a loftier goal: finished the year as the WTA No.1.
It was the fourth year-end tournament in Ms. Sabalenka’s career. Unfortunately, she wasn’t at her best there. After beating Qinwen Zheng (China) and Jasmine Paolini (Italy) at the group stage, she lost to Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan), but was still able to get to the semifinals. That cemented her place at the top: by losing to Coco Gauff (USA) at the group stage, her closest rival Iga Swiatek (Poland) lost all chances to overtake her. Despite winning two of her group matches, the Polish player was unable to qualify for the semifinals. Aryna, who had lost her semifinal match to the eventual tournament winner, Ms. Gauff, was far from heartbroken, Punto de Break reported.
“I have won two Grand Slams, became the world number one, and finished the year as number one, something I wanted last year and didn't achieve. I am very excited for the coming year and I want to continue striving and taking advantage of the extra moments I had this season. I will continue working on my mindset, keep working on my game and make sure to be fresh at the beginning of the season and bring my best tennis back to Australia,” she said.
Ms. Sabalenka was too modest when recounting her achievements this season: on top of the Australian Open and the US Open titles, she won prestigious tournaments in Cincinnati and Wuhan, and reached finals in Brisbane, Madrid, and Rome. Despite personal issues and a shoulder injury that sidelined her for weeks, she was able to reach another level in her tennis in 2024. Her rivals agree: after their Riyadh semifinal match, Coco Gauff said that Aryna is ‘world No. 1 for a reason’.
Ms. Sabalenka won 56 matches out of 70 she has played this season, earning a total of $9,729,260 in prize money! She leads Swiatek by 1,046 points in the updated WTA ranking. When the Belarusian star first became No.1 in the world in the autumn of 2023, she could only stay there for 8 weeks. The new season will show how long her second attempt is going to be.
”I always wanted to dominate the tour like Serena did, like Iga [Swiatek] was able to do for so long. And she’s still close […] so who knows? But it’s really inspiring, and, of course, I want to dominate the tour like they did. But I’m trying to focus on myself, on improving myself, to make sure that I have all of the tools to dominate the tour as they did,” she said when asked to share her thoughts on tour leadership.
“I have won two Grand Slams, became the world number one, and finished the year as number one, something I wanted last year and didn't achieve. I am very excited for the coming year and I want to continue striving and taking advantage of the extra moments I had this season. I will continue working on my mindset, keep working on my game and make sure to be fresh at the beginning of the season and bring my best tennis back to Australia,” she said.
Ms. Sabalenka was too modest when recounting her achievements this season: on top of the Australian Open and the US Open titles, she won prestigious tournaments in Cincinnati and Wuhan, and reached finals in Brisbane, Madrid, and Rome. Despite personal issues and a shoulder injury that sidelined her for weeks, she was able to reach another level in her tennis in 2024. Her rivals agree: after their Riyadh semifinal match, Coco Gauff said that Aryna is ‘world No. 1 for a reason’.
Ms. Sabalenka won 56 matches out of 70 she has played this season, earning a total of $9,729,260 in prize money! She leads Swiatek by 1,046 points in the updated WTA ranking. When the Belarusian star first became No.1 in the world in the autumn of 2023, she could only stay there for 8 weeks. The new season will show how long her second attempt is going to be.
”I always wanted to dominate the tour like Serena did, like Iga [Swiatek] was able to do for so long. And she’s still close […] so who knows? But it’s really inspiring, and, of course, I want to dominate the tour like they did. But I’m trying to focus on myself, on improving myself, to make sure that I have all of the tools to dominate the tour as they did,” she said when asked to share her thoughts on tour leadership.
