DUBAI — Aryna Sabalenka said she was “addicted to winning” and hungry for more major glory following her successful title defence at the Australian Open last month.
Carlos Alcaraz admitted to being “far from my true level” in a defeat to Nicolas Jarry at the semi-finals of the ATP Buenos Aires tournament.
The Belarusian Sabalenka returns to action on Tuesday at the WTA 1000 in Dubai to contest her first tournament since her second Grand Slam triumph at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka, who opens her Dubai campaign against Donna Vekic in round two, admits she is still “shocked” she was able to retain her title in Melbourne, describing it as a “dream”, but is already looking ahead in search of more silverware.
“My mindset is to keep doing what I’m doing, keep fighting, and keep working. After my career, to look back and think, ‘Whoa, I was able to achieve that. That’s crazy’,” Sabalenka, world number two, said according to AFP.
“I’m not the type of person that is going to win something and stop. Like I said, I’m addicted to wins. I felt like it’s just something in my blood and I keep doing, keep working, and hopefully keep winning,” she added.
After struggling to make it past the fourth round in her first 14 Grand Slam appearances, Sabalenka has now reached at least the semi-finals in her last six consecutive majors, exhibiting incredible consistency at the highest level.
During that period, the 25-year-old has overcome serious serving woes and has undergone a mental transformation on court, exuding control and confidence after years of struggling emotionally during matches.
“I guess I was always searching for something which can help me to control myself better,” said Sabalenka.
“After some years working with a psychologist, I just decided to kind of took the responsibility on myself, just to start to take the responsibility and not wait for somebody to help you fix something.
“At the end the only one thing helping me is just myself, just stop expecting people to fix my problems, start fixing my problems by myself. I think that’s brought much more confidence and much more control.”
Sabalenka has taken some time to celebrate her Australian Open triumph and says she is still feeling “emotional” about her victory but “it’s already in the past and I need to focus on the next one”.
Top-seeded Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, has touched down in Dubai, a day after pulling off an impressive three peat in Doha.
The Polish four-time major champion is the first player to win the same WTA titles three times in a row since Serena Williams reigned supreme in Miami from 2013 to 2015.
“It’s crazy. Honestly, when I came to Doha, I was thinking a little bit about that,” said Swiatek on her rare hat-trick.
“It got my expectations little bit higher and the pressure little bit higher. I’m happy that during the time I played I could focus on the right things and really get the work done.
“After it happened, it was just surreal and amazing.”
Swiatek is not too concerned about the quick turnaround from Doha to Dubai, noting her success at both events last year, where she followed up her Qatar Open title victory with a runner-up showing in the Emirates.
The world number one has a bye in the opening round in Dubai and awaits the winner of the clash between former US Open champion Sloane Stephens and French qualifier Clara Burel in round two.
Alcaraz admits far from best in Buenos exit
No. 2-ranked Alcaraz was upset by Nicolas Jarry of Chile 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the semifinals of the Argentina Open.
Jarry, after the biggest win of his career, will face home crowd favorite Facundo Díaz Acosta in the final on Sunday. It will be their first tour-level meeting.
Alcaraz was the defending champion but hasn’t looked as sharp and aggressive this week as he was a year ago. The 20-year-old smashed his racket onto the court after his defeat, a rare feature for the Spaniard.
“Congratulations to Nico for this match and good luck for him in the final,” Alcaraz said after his defeat. The Spaniard will play next week at the Rio Open tournament in Brazil, also on clay, which he won in 2022 and reached the decider last year.
“It was a complicated tournament, the first on clay for a long time,” Alcaraz said according to AP. “I didn’t take the opportunities I had, I didn’t play the tie-break well and it shows.”
While he hasn’t played in a final since August nor won a title since Wimbledon, this was only Alcaraz’s fourth loss on clay in 31 matches since the start of 2023.
This was also only his third loss in 49 matches in the same period against players ranked outside the top 20. Jarry was ranked No. 21, and had lost both previous matchups with Alcaraz.
Jarry will play for his fourth ATP singles title, all on clay. He lifted his previous trophies in Bastad 2019, Genoa 2023 and Santiago 2023.
The Chilean was also competitive against Alcaraz last year at the Rio Open tournament, but left the court in tears after a defeat in three sets.
“Carlos is one of the best, this means a lot to me,” Jarry said after the match. “After the battle I had a couple of days ago (against Stan Wawrinka), a tough one physically, I am extremelly happy I managed to compete again.”
Díaz Acosta, entered as a wild card at a career-high ranking of 87, defeated Argentine compatriot Federico Coria 6-2, 6-3 in his first tour semifinal.
