"It’s my first priority" - Sabalenka on becoming the World No. 1
Aryna Sabalenka has candidly expressed her ambitions for the rest of the year, in an interview with 'Arab News' ahead of her appearance at the Dubai Tennis Championships this week.
The freshly-crowned Australian Open champion is competing in her first event since that seismic breakthrough just over three weeks ago,
In a wide-ranging interview, the Belarusian spoke about her struggles last season - particularly on serve - her renewed motivation, and career goals. Interestingly, Sabalenka has laid all the cards on the table when it comes to her ranking aims.
The 24-year-old Grand Slam champion is currently ranked second, behind the indomitable Iga Swiatek, but has revealed that the goal she is prioritising above all else right now is taking the top spot from the Pole.
It’s my first priority, I would say; I really want it. She’s doing really well, she’s moving better than anybody else, she’s tough and it’s going to be really tough, and that’s why I really want to achieve it. Because it seems, like, impossible, but I want to make it possible.
The message is that, ‘Yes, you’ve become a Grand Slam champion, that’s great, that’s really amazing and everyone is super happy, but it’s already gone. You have to keep working, you have to keep proving to yourself, to everyone, that you’re in the right place, and you have to keep working.’ Never stop believing in yourself, and understand that whatever happens in your life, whatever challenge you’re facing, you’ll see the reason why later. So, you have to understand that if you’re having a bad time, that something good is coming for you. You just have to get through it and it will come.
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