Staff Reporter.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka says she is “fresh and ready to go” in her bid for a third straight Australian Open title.
Sabalenka enjoyed a sensational 2024, reaching seven finals and winning four titles, including the US Open.
Her year was kickstarted by defending her Australian Open crown, beating China’s high-flying Zheng Qinwen in the final.
“I feel fresh and ready to go,” Sabalenka said. “I love Australia and I always come here hungry and always come here ready. Ready as good as possible.
“The crowds are incredible here. I feel all the support here, and I think that’s the best thing about Australia, that people are really, really, into tennis. And if they really cheer for you, you’re gonna feel it, and I love that.”
“I have a lot of great memories from here and just can’t wait to start playing,” Sabalenka said. “Not the result I wanted at the end, but I’ll try my best this year.”
Despite her World No.1 status and winning three of the last four hard-court Grand Slams, Sabalenka maintains that she still has plenty to work on in her training.
“Oh, there is so many things to improve,” Sabalenka said. “I mean, I’m not that good with maybe my game at the net in singles. There is a lot of things to improve in my touch game. I don’t know, there is so many things, even my serve is not as good as I want it to be, so there is always [elements] to improve.
“I think the key is just not to focus on the result. Focus on yourself and on improving your game and every time you’re out there, just do your best, and basically that’s it. Control what you can control, and just do everything you can, and see what happened by the end of the tournament.”