Aryna Sabalenka faced Iga Swiatek five times on tour in 2022, losing the first four before getting the better of the World No.1 at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, last month.
You’d think they would have steered clear of one another during the offseason, but the familiar foes somehow ended up on court at the World Tennis League exhibition event in Dubai in December, where Swiatek beat the World No.5 in straight sets.
“I played a lot against her this year, tonight I just tried to have fun,” Sabalenka said in the Emirates. “I feel confident going into the next year. I’m not trying to chase her. I’m just trying to improve myself and to be better every day.”
We caught up with Sabalenka in Dubai, where the 24-year-old power hitter spent a month preparing for the new season before jetting off to Adelaide, where she will kick off her 2023 campaign.
What have you been up to since you played the final in Fort Worth?
Sabalenka: I was in Miami just spending some time at home. I rested for a little while, I had one week off, then one week of just fitness, before I started tennis again.
What parts of preseason training do you dread? And what parts do you actually enjoy?
Sabalenka: I enjoy running because I know that I’ll look skinnier after [laughs], no I don’t know actually. I hate when it’s like too long tennis sessions, that’s tough for me. But overall, nothing bothers me that much actually.
You spent a good amount of time in Dubai?
Sabalenka: I was in Dubai for a month [since end of November]. We went with my family to some incredible malls here, we went to the waterpark, we watched the football games on TV, we went on a boat, we had fun. We also had dinner with Paula Badosa as well.
I saw she helped your boyfriend surprise you …
Sabalenka: He was supposed to go to a hockey team competition, and I thought he was going there. And then Paula told me during dinner, I have a surprise for you. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, another cake coming?’ She was like, ‘No, no, it’s not a cake.’ I said, ‘Maybe a guy?’ She was like, ‘I don’t know.’ And then it was a surprise, I didn’t expect that, it was really cool.
What kind of conversations did you have with your team about what you’d like to get out this preseason training block?
Sabalenka: First week we were trying to stay away from each other. But then we had this conversation, what we’d like to improve, what we’d like to work on, what we’re focusing on, and we started moving from there.
So what is high up on your priority list?
Sabalenka: I want to keep my focus on myself, on the game and on improvement, and not focus on the results and the points and all this stuff.
You had a tough 2022, but you finished it really well with your runner-up showing at the WTA Finals.
Sabalenka: It could be better, but it’s OK, better than I started.
Do you feel you could carry some momentum from the end of last season into the New Year?
Sabalenka: Every season is different. The previous season cannot guarantee you the good next season. It’s really good for me that I finished well, so at least I don’t have this kind of thinking like, what’s going to happen next season? What’s going on with my serve? At least I can just practice more calmly, knowing I just have to work hard and things will work for me.
Has your serve been a main focus this preseason?
Sabalenka: I would say that before Cincinnati I changed my serve quite a lot and we’ll keep working on these improvements. There’s a lot of things I’m focusing on with my serve and I changed it a lot, which really helps me a lot.
Are you comfortable with it at the moment?
Sabalenka: I definitely feel much more comfortable than it was in the beginning of last season, but there are still a lot of things to improve and I’m really working hard to make sure my serve is going to be the best next season.
You got to share a bench with Badosa, Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov in this exhibition in Dubai, what was that experience like?
Sabalenka: That’s nice actually, I didn’t know them well before this event and they seem to be really nice guys and so funny. We’re having fun and it’s super cool to have stars like they are in the team, so we can have interesting conversations. You can ask for advice, so it’s really cool to have them on our team.
You told Tennis Channel in Fort Worth that Djokovic was your dream mixed doubles partner. Did you know at the time you were going to be teammates?
Sabalenka: I didn’t know at the time. It’s really cool, and hopefully we’re going to play mixed.
