Aryna Sabalenka received high praise from former US Open champions Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick after her triumph at Flushing Meadows last week.
The World No. 2 won her first US Open title after years of coming close. She lost tight semifinals in 2021 and 2022, before throwing away a lead against Coco Gauff in last year's final.
Sabalenka ended that pain by defeating Jessica Pegula in a high-quality final. Her American opponent played better than Gauff did in the final last year and will feel unlucky, but Sabalenka rose to the occasion.
The Belarusian has thoroughly celebrated her success. Sabalenka humorously told her fans that she would start practicing again in a few days but that her celebrations would continue until then.
She will resume her hunt to finish the year as the world No. 1 once her break from training has ended. That is a goal of Sabalenka's, and the number of points Iga Swiatek is defending until the end of the year gives her a chance of achieving it.
Clijsters and Roddick know what it takes to cope with the pressure at the US Open and win the title. Roddick reigned supreme in 2003, while Clijsters triumphed in 2005, 2009, and 2010.
That made Clijsters' appearance on Roddick's podcast fascinating to listen to. The pair discussed Sabalenka's success, and Roddick was particularly impressed with how she kept going for her shots despite being 3-5 down in the second set of the final.
"To keep shooting your shot even after missing 17 balls in the last 12 minutes is a skill that I didn’t have. If I’m missing, I’m losing confidence. How you commit to going back there, deleting all the stress and going and shooting again is crazy."
Clijsters agreed with Roddick's point about Sabalenka having the mentality to keep playing her game under pressure and stepping up in the big moments, comparing her to a tennis legend while doing so.
"Just like Serena, she has the ability to step up when needed."
Roddick is also a fan of Sabalenka's personality. He mentioned that Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer have different personalities, and he appreciates the world No. 2 bringing something unique to the table.
"Look at Roger, Rafa, Novak, Serena. You could not have four more different personalities. With Sabalenka, I appreciate the different process. And hers looks fun. And she dives in afterwards and has a smile."
"It’s like she’s down for a joke but also committed to improvement, it seems like she has a great balance…I wish I had a little more Sabalenka."
Another interesting moment from the podcast was Clijsters analyzing why Pegula found the matchup against Sabalenka difficult. She said the three-time Grand Slam champion's return and serve were pivotal in stopping Pegula from playing her natural game.
"Pegula's strength is to try to keep the ball as low over the net and as deep as possible, and she has to have the chance to do that. Against Sabalenka, the first two shots of the rally, the return and the serve, are just too strong and she beats her to it."
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