"I'm not trying to chase her" - Sabalenka on Swiatek ahead of 2023
WTA
Aryna Sabalenka will start the 2023 season as one of the top challengers for Iga Swiatek, but she doesn't want to focus on the Polish player too much.
Swiatek is already a three-time Grand Slam champion, while Sabalenka has yet to even reach a major final in singles. Still, as the WTA World No. 5 ahead of the 2023 season, she will certainly want to dethrone Swiate, who has dominated the sport in the past few months.
The two even got a chance to meet during the off-season, as they met at the World Tennis League, and Swiatek once again proved that she's one step ahead of the rest of the field.
The Polish player beat Sabalenka 6-1, 6-3, sending her a clear warning ahead of the new season. After their match, the Belarusian player spoke to WTATennis.com, and she downplayed the importance of their exhibition match in Dubai.
"I played a lot against her this year, tonight I just tried to have fun. I feel confident going into the next year. I'm not trying to chase her. I'm just trying to improve myself and to be better every day."
Sabalenka seems to be heading to the new season with a good mindset. She knows that while her 2022 season was successful, she can't rely on that in 2023.
"Every season is different. The previous season cannot guarantee you the good next season. It's really good for me that I finished well, so at least I don't have this kind of thinking like, what's going to happen next season? What's going on with my serve? "
"At least I can just practice more calmly, knowing I just have to work hard and things will work for me. There’s a lot of things I’m focusing on with my serve and I changed it a lot, which really helps me a lot."
