Aryna Sabalenka surprised many by choosing to skip the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it was a necessary sacrifice to give herself a chance to do what she’s been able to do in recent weeks.
This year’s Olympic Games were quite unique in many ways. They were played on a surface which generally isn’t the one the Games are played on. The Olympics were played on clay, which created a huge problem in the schedule because most players were coming into the event from grass.
Immediately after the Games, the hard court part of the season started, and quite a few players opted out of having to go through that quick and drastic surface change so many times.
Sabalenka was among them, but her situation was even more complex due to a shoulder injury she picked up playing at the Berlin Open. That injury forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon, and in light of that, it didn’t make much sense to force herself to play at the Olympics.
The smarter decision for the Belarusian player was to recover well. She did that and returned at the Citi Open in Washington, which started during the Paris Olympics, when some of her rivals competed on clay at Roland Garros.
She started well at the WTA 500 event in Washington, even though she was not at her best level overall. She didn’t find it in Toronto either but finally found it in Cincinnati, where she won the title.
That solid form carried over into New York, and she’s now in the final of that event. Sabalenka was asked a few times about the decision to skip the Olympics, and she’s always maintained that she didn’t regret it.
It was a decision she didn’t want to make, but overall, in the grand scheme of things, pulling out was necessary. She sacrificed the Games for the hard court season.
"You have to sacrifice something. I decided to sacrifice the Olympics for the hardcourt season, and I have no regrets about that decision. I mean, it looks like it was the right one. I had a great kind of like time off."
"I did a lot of treatment, a lot of rehab, and all that stuff. Then I had a little, little camp before the hardcourt season, and I was able to reset my mind and clear my thoughts and start everything from the beginning."
Looking back at the decision now certainly makes it seem like a brilliant choice. She could have probably forced herself to play at the Olympics, but seeing how some of the players who did participate haven’t had the best time since then, the decision to enter the hard court season fully healthy seems like a really smart one.
It will look even better if she wins the trophy, and she's the favorite to do that. Surprises can always happen, and she's undoubtedly expecting a tough battle against Jessica Pegula.
Still, the way she’s played and the confidence she’s shown in her level should warrant plenty of confidence for Sabalenka.