Aryna Sabalenka claims she is ‘addicted to wins’ ahead of return
As Aryna Sabalenka prepares to play in her first tournament since retaining the Australian Open title, the Belarusian has spoken of her desire to continue winning.
Sabalenka missed last week’s event in Doha, but entered the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai as the second seed.
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The 25-year-old then spoke about the mental effort she put in to become a two-time major champion. After working with a psychologist for several years, I decided to take responsibility for myself and not wait for someone else to fix things for me.
“At the end of the day, the only person who can help me is myself. Stop expecting someone to solve my problems and start solving them yourself. I feel more confident and in control.”
Sabalenka’s best result at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai was a place in the quarter-finals, and the world No. 2 is aiming for her 15th career title in the Middle East this week.
“My mindset is to keep doing what I’m doing, keep fighting, keep working,” Sabalenka revealed. She says, “I look back on my career and think, ‘Oh, I did this.’ It’s crazy.”
She continued: “I’m not one to win something and then quit. Like I said, I’m obsessed with winning. I felt like it was in my blood, so I kept going and worked hard. I would like to continue and if possible, continue winning.”
Two-time @AustralianOpen champion and World No2, @SabalenkaA, kicks off her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships campaign with a shopping spree at @DubaiDutyFree! ???? pic.twitter.com/7ioqHOMG9K
– Dubai Tennis Champion (@DDFTennis) 18. February 2024
Runner Sabalenka receives a bye in the second round and will face Donna Vekic, who actually has a winning record (2-5) against the Australian Open champion.
In the baseline…
Aryna Sabalenka enters the Dubai Tennis Championships fresh off a dominant performance in Melbourne last month. Will she be able to maintain this form on Dubai’s hard courts, where she has never won a title before and is in the same half of the draw as Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova and Maria Sakkari? It will be interesting to see. >
Read more – Tennis on TV next week: How to watch WTA Dubai, ATP Doha and more!
