Aryna Sabalenka skipped the Paris Olympics to clear her mind and ‘reset’ before moving on to the North American hardcourt swing. Upon reaching the 2024 US Open final, she reflected on the necessary sacrifice and expressed no regrets about her decision.
Sabalenka suffered a right shoulder injury, forcing her to withdraw from the grasscourt event in Berlin in June before withdrawing from the Wimbledon Championships. The Belarusian later chose to skip the Paris Olympics and continue her rehab.She began her North American hard court season earlier than most of the top WTA stars at the Citi Open. She also played in the Canadian Open and won the Cincinnati Open before making her way into the New York Major.
On Thursday, September 5, the 26-year-old defeated Emma Navarro in the semifinal of the 2024 US Open 6-3, 7-6(2) to advance into her second-straight final in New York. During her press conference, she talked about skipping the Olympic Games that led her to a successful hardcourt season.
“You have to sacrifice something. I decided to sacrifice the Olympics for the hardcourt season, and I have no regrets about that decision,” Aryna Sabalenka said. (starting at 1:35)
“I mean, it looks like it was the right one. I had a great kind of like time off. I did a lot of treatment, a lot of rehab, and all that stuff. Then I had a little, little camp before the hardcourt season, and I was able to reset my mind and clear my thoughts and start everything from the beginning,” she added.
Sabalenka will take on Jessica Pegula in the final of the 2024 US Open. It will be a rematch of their Cincinnati Open final in August, and the Belarusian is prepared for another great battle.
“She’s in incredible shape, it’s going to be another great battle” – Aryna Sabalenka on facing Jessica Pegula in US Open 2024 final
Jessica Pegula’s semifinal against Karolina Muchova was played after Aryna Sabalenka won against Emma Navarro. The Belarusian was asked in her press conference about her potential encounter with Pegula and she was all praise for the American.
“I mean, we had a lot of great battles in the past—really difficult, tight matches. She’s playing incredible tennis, and we played recently in Cincinnati. It was a really tough match; even though I closed it in two sets, it still wasn’t easy,” Sabalenka said. (starting at 5:40)
“She’s playing her best tennis, I would say, and it feels like she’s back on track… So, she’s in incredible shape, and it’s going to be another great battle,” she added.
This will be the eighth encounter between Sabalenka and Pegula, with the Belarusian leading the way 5-2. They will take to the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the championship match on Saturday, September 7.
Leave a Reply