Sabalenka started her comeback in Washington on Wednesday.
Aryna Sabalenka admitted that it wasn’t easy playing her first match in 40 days but also added that the good thing was that her shoulder felt pretty fine out there.
After missing Wimbledon due to a shoulder issue, Sabalenka returned to action on Wednesday evening in Washington. And in her first match in quite some time, the two-time Grand Slam champion definitely looked a bit rusty against qualifier world No. 105 Kamilla Rakhimova but in the end managed to avoid a shock loss and seal a 7-5 4-6 6-4 win over the Russian.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m super happy to be back on court. I didn’t play like months it feels like. It’s been more than that. Happy to get through this tough match. She played incredible tennis. I’m just super happy to get this win,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka on the condition of her shoulder
In her first match, Sabalenka fired 13 aces but also faced 12 break points – of which she saved nine. But most importantly, the 26-year-old Belarusian didn’t feel any pain or discomfort when serving against Rakhimova.
“I mean, I really hope it’s okay. At least I was able to serve without pain. It’s not going to be easy to come back after injury, especially the one I had. I feel okay and we’ll see how I feel tomorrow. But I really, really hope I’m going to be all right for the next match,” Sabalenka shared.
By beating Rakhimova, Sabalenka set up a Washington against fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who beat Wang Yafan.
“I mean, both of them are great players. I had a lot of great matches against Victoria. It’s always great matches against her. I’m really looking forward facing her again,” Sabalenka said when asked about facing either Azarenka or Wang.
“Another player I’m not sure if we faced. I will watch their match tomorrow to see the game. But, yeah, super excited to play the next match.”
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