Aryna Sabalenka’s first-round match at the Australian Open was a test in more ways than one.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park, overcame a tough test against American Sloane Stephens, recording a 6-3, 6-2 victory on the opening day of the tournament.
Stephens may not be the player she once was, but she is still a former Grand Slam champion, and most players on tour would prefer not to face a former champion in the first round.
While Stephens is a former US Open winner, it was Sabalenka who opened the match with the confidence and swagger of a defending champion, racing to a 4-0 lead before some of the crowd had settled into their seats inside. from the Rod Laver Area.
However, just when Sabalenka might have started thinking about a bagel in the first set, Stephens returned to put things into service, breaking the Belarusian in two consecutive service games.
Sabalenka is a far cry from the player who struggled with howlers on serve a few years ago, but here was the serve pixie rearing its ugly head out of nowhere.
As she began to hit her first serve, accruing a double fault along the way, Sabalenka’s frustrations began to come to light. He gestured to his support team in the stands with increasing regularity.
The energy inside the stadium also changed, as the crowd sensed a possible upset or at least an epic three-unit match. Suddenly, it was time to test the current champion, and she passed the initial test with flying colors.
“I think I took a step back after a few games didn’t go well. “I stepped back and gave him a chance to get back into the game,” he told reporters at Melbourne Park.
“I’m glad that in that 4-3 game I entered and felt like I was going towards the purple.
“I think that was the key to getting back into this game.”
Being able to make that key adjustment on the fly is something Sabalenka admitted she wouldn’t have been prepared to do a few years ago.
“I think it’s a big difference compared to three years ago,” he said.
“At that point I would get frustrated and probably lose the first set. I’m not sure I can win the match. That’s what I remember.
“I am very happy to have improved my mental strength. “I can stay focused no matter the outcome or the situation.”
“I’m concentrating on the game, on the point. “I am concentrating point by point.”
Sabalenka’s attempt to stabilize was favored, in his opinion, by avoiding the change in the players’ support boxes.
Historically, players have had their entire coaching staff, as well as loved ones, sit in the same area. However, with the introduction of on-court training modules, players are forced to seek support from two separate areas during difficult moments during a match.
Sabalenka’s team took the traditional route by sitting together in the stands.
After her victory, the world number one joined her male counterparts such as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov in criticizing the change.
“Honestly, it’s not that I’m a big fan of that decision. (to add coaching pods),” he said. “If you do that, then make more seats.
“For example, I personally like to see the whole team. “I want to see the whole team.”
in my box
“Even though I don’t look at every person in my box, I always look at my coach, but I still see everyone. For me that is important.
“Sometimes I just want to seek support from my boyfriend, for example.
“I just didn’t want to look at the coach first and then look in the box because I have a lot of coaches. Four seats are not enough.
“If they got eight seats, I don’t know how, but it would be much better for me.
“So we decided to put everyone in the box. Maybe they were a little cramped in there and weren’t comfortable, but I felt comfortable seeing them all.”
Aryna Sabalenka managed to overcome her service issues just in time against Sloane Stephens. (Getty Images: Hannah Peters)
Sabalenka aims to join an unlikely group in two weeks. If she wins the title again, she will become the fifth woman to win three titles at Melbourne Park, joining Margaret Court docket (1969-71), Evonne Goolagong (1974-76), Steffi Graf (1988-90) and Martina Hingis . (1997-99).
Although it’s not something I’m thinking about yet.
“The biggest lesson I learned last year is just not to focus on defending the title or having the opportunity to put your name in history,” he said when asked about his prospects of achieving three titles.
“I think the key is to keep focusing on yourself and do the best you can and see what happens after the tournament.
“Don’t know. “We’ll talk about it after the tournament is over, hopefully with a hat trick, then I can tell you which one was the hardest.”
