US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka says her motivation is a desire to keep her late father’s name alive by etching it on as many Grand Slam trophies as possible.
After adding this title to her two consecutive Australian Opens, the 26-year-old Belarusian was asked what motivates her.
“Well, after losing my father (in 2019, to meningitis), it’s always been my goal to put our family name in tennis history,” she said after beating American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a magnificent final. “Every time I see my name on that trophy, I’m so proud of myself, I’m proud of my family who never gave up on my dream and who did everything they could to keep me going.
“I had this opportunity in life. I still can’t believe what I was able to accomplish. My team and I have already been able to accomplish a lot.”
The team he mentions is a formidable unit. Coach Anton Dubrov and strength coach Jason Stacy form the core, with hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski and numbers man Shane Liyanage.
US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka says she is motivated by a desire to keep her late father’s name alive
Sabalenka’s US Open triumph adds to her previous consecutive Australian Open titles
Team Sabalenka has made great strides this year in adding variety to complement its crushing power.
Together they have fostered an environment of continuous improvement and crazy fun: a team built in the image of the player.
“I don’t say it often, but when I do I say it out loud: I love you guys,” Sabalenka said on court after her win, before joining them in the locker room to drink champagne.
At this year’s Australian Open, Sabalenka signed Stacy’s bald head after every win, and here they took things a step further when she appeared with a tiger tattoo, matching the one Sabalenka had on her arm, on her scalp.
“I hope it’s temporary,” Sabalenka was asked. “No, it’s permanent,” she replied seriously, before adding: “There’s a girl in Washington who’s a fan of mine and she always comes up with great things.
“She brought these temporary tattoos and Jason promised me that if I make it to the finals he would put them on her head. I wish they were a little bit lower, like here (on the forehead), it would be cooler, right?”
Behind all the madness, Sabalenka’s team has made great strides this year in adding variety to complement her crushing power.
“It’s really nice to have these options at your disposal because sometimes you’re not feeling your best on the baseline and you can just try a slice or a dropshot or go to the net,” Sabalenka said.
“I’ve always worked on this variation on the court. I’m very glad to have the courage to use these tools in those key moments.”
This is a match Sabalenka might well have lost a year ago: hitting too hard against the steady Pegula or collapsing emotionally as 3-0 became 3-5 in the second set.
Beyond all her skills on the court, perhaps Sabalenka’s rarest gift is the ability, as an athlete, to let the crowd in and take them with her on the emotional journey through a match.
He grimaces after a bad mistake, screams after an important point and, on Saturday, after a double fault, attacks the court with his racket like a mad axeman.
Sabalenka is fascinating to watch and the New York crowd has really warmed to her – she received more support in the final than anyone could have expected facing an American.
Despite all this, it seems that Sabalenka is still on the verge of global stardom, compared to Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and even Jannik Sinner. The elephant in the room is her nationality. At every tournament she plays, the space next to her name, where the flag should be, remains blank, as Belarus continues to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is shocking that Sabalenka’s victory is being celebrated in the corridors of power of “Europe’s last dictator” Aleksandr Lukashenko and his repressive regime.
But none of this is Sabalenka’s fault and while she would undoubtedly be more recognised if she came from a country with more of a tennis tradition, she has too much star power to be held back for long.
Sabalenka previously lost her father, Sergey (left), to meningitis in 2019.
Her embrace of the spotlight — she gleefully jumped from pose to pose as she displayed her trophy in a floor-length red dress on Saturday night — stands in stark contrast to the only woman above her in the rankings.
World number one Iga Swiatek wears her cap low on court and doesn’t show her cards when she’s not on it. That’s her prerogative and her personality, but one can’t help but feel that in terms of marketing the sport, Sabalenka would be a standout figure for women’s tennis.
The Pole is so dominant on clay and so consistent that she has a firm grip on the top spot. But Sabalenka has proven to be a much better player on hard courts and grass, and should be able to catch her.
“I know that if I can play my best tennis and show this fighting spirit in every match, I can become world number one again,” Sabalenka said.
