Aryna Sabalenka confirmed ahead of the 2024 China Open in Beijing that she wants to finish the year as World No. 1 on the WTA Tour, but she's not focusing on that too much.
Sabalenka is within striking distance of Swiatek per the latest WTA Race update, and with the way she's played in recent weeks, it's clear that she has a good shot at possibly overtaking the Pole by the end of the year.
Funnily enough, the Belarusian was world number one at this time last year, but Swiatek's superb finish to the season allowed the Polish player to overtake her. The opposite could happen this time, as Swiatek is now the hunted, especially with many points up for grabs.
This upcoming China Open is a WTA 1000 event, and there will be another such tournament played in Wuhan later. There are also the WTA Finals, which give out plenty of points, so there will be plenty of chances for Sabalenka.
The difference in the WTA Race is only about 400 points, so it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility. A huge boost toward her chances happened when Swiatek withdrew from the China Open, removing her chance of earning points this week.
Sabalenka will play in Beijing, and when asked about it during the pre-event press conference, she confirmed that the World No. 1 ranking is her goal, but she's not thinking about it too much.
"Of course, that's one of my goals, to finish the season at world No. 1. I'm not trying to focus on that. I'm trying to focus on my game. There is only three tournaments left."
"I'm just trying to bring my best tennis on court. After the season, I'll see if it was enough to finish the year at world No. 1 or have to improve something else to get to world No. 1. To be called as best player in the world, that's really means a lot."
This approach by Sabalenka is nothing new for tennis players. Quite a few of them focus on playing the best tennis possible, trying to maximize their chances. The achievement itself is a great one for Sabalenka because it would again confirm that all the hard work she put in was worth it, and there is just a nice ring to being called the best player in the world.
While many would declare her that right now, due to her form, the official title is reserved for the player that has the number one next to their name.
"My whole life, I've been working so hard to get to the top hundred, then top 50, then top 10, get to the top two. If one day I'll be world No. 1, to be called best player in the world, that means everything."
"It's good to know that you've been doing the right thing, all of that, hours of training, wasn't a wasting of time. I think as the best player in the world, you inspire young generation. For me, that's been the main goal, always been the main goal for me. That would be really, really cool (smiling)."