Having qualified for the semifinals of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan, Aryna Sabalenka will face fourth seed Coco Gauff.
At the press conference, the 26-year-old Belarusian reflected on the possibility of returning to the number 1 position in the WTA ranking, admitting that this is her next big goal.
“As I always say, I don’t focus too much on the ranking. At the same time, of course, everyone wants to become number one in the world. It’s on my list of goals, like everyone else’s. But I try to focus on myself. I know that if I’m on the court every match, if I fight for every point, if I can play my best tennis, if I continue to improve and push myself to the limit, I know I can achieve this goal,” she analyzed.
The Belarusian also revealed what her inspirations are, explaining: “With the team we talk openly, we have a lot of conversations about tennis, about what to improve, about what tactics can work on each specific surface for me, we talk a lot. We talk a lot. I would say if we are in a tournament and they show it on TV, yes, I always watch it. Some things inspire me, I see a play and I think: OK, I will try it and see if I can use it in a match, to see if it works and fits my game. So yes, sometimes I get inspiration from other players. Outside of tournaments I don’t watch tennis because I try to recharge my batteries and forget about tennis, focus on other things.”
On the semifinal against Gauff, Sabalenka said: “We had a lot of good and great fights. I’m really looking forward to playing against her. I think the main thing, again, will be to focus on myself, on my footwork, going to the net and finishing the point there. It’s a slow surface, you have to go there. You have to be brave enough and finish the point there, I think that’s the main plan. It worked very well in our last match, so I’ll stick to that plan. I’ll try to put as much pressure on her as possible.”
The absence of Iga Swiatek from the courts and the brilliant run of the Belarusian in Wuhan are allowing Aryna to get significantly closer to the throne of the WTA rankings, which the Pole has jealously defended since the beginning of the year. The two-time Grand Slam champion has overtaken Swiatek in the Race and, in case of triumph in China, she would move within a point gap of the number 1 position.
Sabalenka had already tlaked about this goal after winning the Cincinnati Open and the US Open in a row. After taking a few days off after the North American swing, the Belarusian, already qualified for the WTA Finals, is continuing – as mentioned – her pursuit of Swiatek.
“I think I still need some time to process what happened. I’ll come back when the season is over, now I want to keep not thinking about it. I had about four or five days off, enough to celebrate, have fun, recharge and start over. I prepared well for the Asian Tour. I would have liked to have rested more, but I couldn’t. Finishing the year as world number one is one of my goals, but I try not to focus on that, but on my tennis.
There are only three tournaments left, I want to play my best on the court. After the season, I’ll see if it’s enough to finish the year as world number one or what I need to do to become world number one in the future. To be called the best player in the world means a lot. It’s nice to know that no time was wasted with all those hours of practice,” she said, a few days after winning at Flushing Meadows.
