World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka says she is “fresh and ready to go” in her bid for a third straight Australian Open title, warning she has plenty of room for improvement.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a sensational season this year, reaching seven finals and winning four titles, including the US Open.
Her year was kick-started by defending her Australian Open crown, beating China’s high-flying Zheng Qinwen in the final.
Photo: AFP
Should she win it again, she would become the first woman to claim three straight Melbourne Park singles titles since Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1999.
“I feel fresh and ready to go,” the Belarusian told the WTA Web site yesterday after arriving for the Brisbane International, which starts on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open from Jan. 12.
“I love Australia, and I always come here hungry and always come here ready,” she said. “I feel all the support here, and I think that’s the best thing about Australia, that people are really, really, into tennis.”
Sabalenka also began last season in Brisbane, reaching the final without losing a set, only to crash to Kazakstan’s Elena Rybakina in the decider.
She spent time in the off-season at her home in Florida before heading to the Middle East to prepare for Australia, and is to use the Brisbane tournament to fine-tune her Grand Slam preparations.
“You work hard on lots of things in the pre-season,” she said. “The first tournament before the major tournament is the one where you can try it out and see what’s going to work well for you, and what’s not.”
Despite her rise through the ranks to be the player to beat heading into next year, Sabalenka said there are still parts of her game that need work.
“Oh, there is so many things to improve,” she said. “I mean, I’m not that good with maybe my game at the net in singles. There is a lot of things to improve in my touch game. There is so many things, even my serve is not as good as I want it to be, so there is always [elements] to improve.”
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