Sabalenka Practiced Only In 'Bikini and Flip Flops' During Much-Needed Vacation

Thursday, 07 August 2025 at 16:00

byErik Virostko

Aryna Sabalenka was one of the players who didn't play in Canada, and she revealed how she spent the previous weeks.

Sabalenka had an incredibly exhausting summer, not only physically, but mostly mentally. She first lost in the Roland Garros final to Coco Gauff, and a few weeks later, Amanda Anisimova beat her in the Wimbledon semi-final.

Both those losses were in three sets, and understandably, after losing at Wimbledon, Sabalenka needed to take some time off, opting to skip the tournament in Montreal.

After missing the WTA 1000 event in Canada, the Belarusian player travelled to Cincinnati, ready to compete at the last tournament of such category before this year's US Open, where she will defend the title.

While others competed on the courts in Montreal, Sabalenka took more than a week off, vacationing and enjoying some time away from the challenging grind of the WTA Tour.

In Cincinnati, she spoke about how she spent the time away and why she chose to do it, explaining that she felt like taking some time off could only help her.

"The season has been really intense. It’s impossible to be on your best level every day, every week. I thought, ‘Maybe I need to step back and take a little break, just chill, recharge and start everything all over again."

"It was amazing. I felt so good. Now I’m fresh and ready. We’re just trying to manage the energy a bit better, because the schedule is really intense. It’s a really important part of the season."

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Sabalenka also revealed that during her vacation, she only went to the gym once, and it was to do 30 minutes of incline walking on a treadmill in a bikini and flip-flops.

"I didn't even go to the gym, I have to say. I did one workout, 30 minutes, incline walking, I was in my bikini and flip-flops, just so you know how professional I was. But I did it, just in case, because you know the food was really good."

"I just wanted to make sure I have some space in there. But it wasn't much actually. It was like a week, 7 or 8 days, but it was amazing days, you know, I felt so good and much needed and now I'm fresh and ready."

Sabalenka aiming to peak for US Open title defense

Sabalenka knows how it feels to be a defending champion at a Grand Slam. She successfully defended her Australian Open title before, and now, she will want to do the same in New York.

The WTA World No. 1 player aims to peak at Flushing Meadows, knowing that being at her best during a major matters the most, even if that means sacrificing some of the events before that.

"The US Open has always been my favorite Slam. I’m the defending champion, and I love being in this position. I really hope those lessons I learned in the previous Slams are going to help me. I really hope I’m going to get to my peak at the Open."

Sabalenka already knows the draw for the event in Cincinnati. As a top seed, she has a first-round bye, and in the second round, she can play against a former Wimbledon champion, Marketa Vondrousova. That match will become a reality if Vondrousova beats Jaqueline Cristian.