By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday October 29, 2023
As she prepares for this year’s WTA Finals in Cancun, and solidifying her spot as the WTA’s year-end No.1, Aryna Sabalenka says that life at the top isn’t really all that different than it was before.
The Belarusian fulfilled a lifelong dream when she rose to No.1 in the world on September 11, and believes that things are not that much different now that she has stood atop the WTA’s ranking table for seven weeks.
“It's not different, to be honest,” she said in Cancun, where she is preparing to face Maria Sakkari in round robin play on Sunday.
25-year-old Sabalenka told reporters that she wish she had known of her capacities prior to this year.
“I'm thinking this is really crazy,” she said when asked to sum up her 2023 season, which also featured her maiden major title at the Australian Open. “I wish I would know earlier that I actually can play that good.
“It's just super great season, I think the best season in my life so far. Hopefully this is just the beginning: with every year I'll play better and better and the results will be better and better.” Far from content, Sabalenka says she plans to use her 2023 performance as inspiration – she aspires for bigger and better things.
“I use this year as a motivation for me to keep working hard, to keep pushing, and see where is my limit are,” she said.
Never mind the ranking, for the hard-hitting Belarusian, the goal is to keep the blinders on, keep working hard and finish strong – whether there is a target on her back or not.
“I think ranking, it's just ranking, you know?” she said. “It's not like I go on court right now and everyone will be, Okay, I'm not playing, you're No. 1, good luck in the next round.
“It's not changing anything. I still need to work hard. I still need to bring my best tennis on court. I think I even need to work more because right now I feel like I'm a target for everyone.
“It's not changing anything. I'm still working hard, trying to improve.”