If one WTA player has earned her roses as the superstar of the 2024 season, that is Aryna Sabalenka. With two grand Slams in a year, this Belarusian has proven her skills athletically and mentally. While she travels to Asia for her next tournament, her coach outlined a prediction for her tennis future. Will she bring a new era of GOATs to tennis?
After clinching her 2024 US Open title, Sabalenka is in no mood for rest. She is in China waiting to play in her next tournament. Two Grand Slams in a year must have been a dream for the Belarusian and she achieved it with an incredible form. Besides that, she reached Madrid and the Italian Open finals, quarterfinals in Berlin, Citi Open finals, and Canadian Open semifinals.
She bagged the Cincinnati Masters title right before her American Slam victory. Her 2024 statistics tell the story of her incredible form. Now her team’s key coach Gavin MacMillan delves deeper into whether the WTA number one can be a legend following the legacy of players like Serena Williams.
“It all depends on her now. What she decides to do, what path she chooses. Because it will be a huge cost, sacrificing the rest of her life. But if she continues to work as she has in recent months, she can become a legend,” said Macmillan. This experienced coach’s statement hinted at the pressure of legends to always offer their best form. Given physical fitness and hectic scheduling are two concerning factors, the concept might burden Sabalenka. Despite that, MacMillan believed the Belarusian could become a legend if she sustained her current form.
A biomechanics specialist, MacMillan is the key person behind the 26-year-old’s incredible technical improvements. Her serve has gone from unpredictable to one of her strong points under his guidance. Two years with the WTA star and MacMillan has nothing but praise for Sabalenka’s strong mentality.
Gavin MacMillan thinks Aryna Sabalenka didn’t play her best at the 2024 US Open finals
This experienced coach had an interesting revelation about the WTA star’s mentality. “I don’t think people grasp what it’s like as an athlete to have to walk out into a stadium full of people, knowing you’re not performing well, and you’re still fighting your a** off, That’s what I respected about her the most. It’s also how I knew it had nothing to do with mental [side].” The Belarusian suffered a personal tragedy during the 2024 Miami Open but still displayed incredible resilience to march on.
In MacMillan’s compliment, he had an interesting revelation. “I don’t think she necessarily played her best on Saturday [US Open final], but she definitely fought her best, and when it really hit the fan, she really trusted what she has been doing,” he said. At one point, MacMillan points out her fighting spirit and in the other, he shows a possibility that Sabalenka can perform even better.
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