Interview: Aryna Sabalenka targets Swiatek’s No.1 spot after maiden Grand Slam success

Aryna Sabalenka is looking to continue her great start to 2023 in Dubai, a month after lifting her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open. (AFP)
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Updated 21 February 2023
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Interview: Aryna Sabalenka targets Swiatek’s No.1 spot after maiden Grand Slam success

  • Players, pundits, and fans have been showering Sabalenka with praise following her Australian Open triumph

DUBAI: A little less than a year ago, Aryna Sabalenka was ready to give up on her dream of winning a Grand Slam singles title.

She had just suffered back-to-back opening-round losses in Miami and Indian Wells, and was going through some serious problems with her serve, committing 95 double faults in her first six matches of the 2022 season alone.

“After the Miami Open it was really tough. I was all over the place, it wasn’t me, I wasn’t Aryna, I was a depressed little girl,” the world No.2 told Arab News on Sunday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“Definitely last year I was like, ‘OK, I will never get it [a Grand Slam trophy].’ It was the moment and it was a really tough period for me. But I’m happy that I got through it and still didn’t lose this belief.”

Sabalenka spent the rest of the season battling through matches, finding ways to win without her serve, and searching for solutions to recover one of her biggest assets on court.

Before the Cincinnati tournament in early August she began working with biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan, who helped her make adjustments to her serving technique.

The work immediately paid dividends as Sabalenka reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and the US Open before finishing the year with a runner-up showing at the WTA Finals and a top-five ranking to go along with it.

Carrying the momentum from a strong end to her 2022 campaign, Sabalenka kicked off 2023 with a bang, lifting the Adelaide trophy before claiming a maiden Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.

 

Her triumph in Melbourne was a special full-circle moment as the 24-year-old recorded her biggest success at the same place where she had struggled a mere 12 months earlier.

Players, pundits, and fans have been showering Sabalenka with praise following that Australian Open triumph. The Belarusian kept fighting when her back was against the wall and proved to herself, and the rest of the world, how tough she really is.

She said: “I didn’t really see myself as a really tough person before last year happened.

“When I figured out the serve problems, I understood that I probably could get through whatever happens in my life.”

Sabalenka’s father Sergey passed away suddenly, at the age of 43, in November 2019, and she believes she gets her strength from him.

She added: “I think my father made me a really tough person without actually knowing that.

“The way he was trying to motivate me, the way he was trying to raise me, the things he was telling me, the things he was fighting through, he was a really tough person.

“He was a great example in some ways for me.”

Sabalenka, who begins her quest in Dubai against American lucky loser Lauren Davis on Tuesday, is very clear about her next big target: the No. 1 ranking.  

“It’s my first priority, I would say; I really want it,” she said.

Iga Swiatek has a healthy 4,800-point lead on Sabalenka at the top of the rankings, but that mountain of a gap is one the Belarusian is determined to climb.

 

“She’s doing really well, she’s moving better than anybody else, she’s tough and it’s going to be really tough, and that’s why I really want to achieve it,” said Sabalenka of Swiatek, who arrives in Dubai fresh from a dominant title run in Doha.

“Because it seems, like, impossible, but I want to make it possible.”

Swiatek took over the top spot when Australian Ashleigh Barty announced her sudden retirement from tennis last March and vacated that position.

The 21-year-old Pole enjoyed a comfortable transition to the summit of the rankings, winning eight titles in 2022, including two majors.

Before hanging up her racquet, Barty had also brought her own unique brand of dominance to the tour, grabbing Grand Slams on three different surfaces while showcasing a style that confounded her opponents.

As a new major champion, Sabalenka is not looking to follow in anyone’s footsteps and hopes to carve her own path instead of trying to emulate someone else’s accomplishments.

“I just want to be me, you know,” she says.

Sabalenka admits she was “surprised” by the number of congratulatory messages she received from other players, and giggles when she’s told that several of her peers said they were inspired by what she has accomplished.

For her though, this is only the beginning and Sabalenka is more motivated than satisfied with that breakthrough victory.

In the Netflix series “Break Point,” Paula Badosa, who is Sabalenka’s closest friend on tour, said winning “is like a drug,” and Sabalenka agrees.

“It’s true, it’s exactly how it feels like,” Sabalenka said.

“When I was watching Paula’s episode, I was like, ‘Girl, that’s right.’ Because you’re winning and you want it more, especially those titles, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I want to feel that again.’

“I just want to keep improving and I just want to be an even tougher person, a tougher opponent.

“I just want to feel it again, feel again this feeling of winning a Grand Slam. It was really amazing.”

 

Sabalenka’s work with her biomechanics coach is far from over as she looks to make improvements in other aspects of her game.

She added: “I feel how powerful it is and I really want to keep working this way.”

The Miami resident makes her first on-court appearance since the Australian Open in Dubai, and says the message from her team is clear.

She said: “The message is that, ‘Yes, you’ve become a Grand Slam champion, that’s great, that’s really amazing and everyone is super happy, but it’s already gone. You have to keep working, you have to keep proving to yourself, to everyone, that you’re in the right place, and you have to keep working.’”

Asked what she hopes people can take from her journey so far, Sabalenka said: “Never stop believing in yourself, and understand that whatever happens in your life, whatever challenge you’re facing, you’ll see the reason why later.

“So, you have to understand that if you’re having a bad time, that something good is coming for you. You just have to get through it and it will come.”


Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

Updated 08 November 2024
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Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

  • Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links
  • Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67

ABU DHABI: Paul Waring hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.
The No. 229-ranked Englishman hit a draw with a 3-wood from about 260 yards to inside 4 feet at No. 18 and tapped in the birdie putt to move to 19-under par for the tournament.
The European tour confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the lowest 36-hole score to par in the tour’s history.
Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links and set a course record.
First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England (68), Johannes Veerman of the United States (67) and Danish players Niklas Norgaard (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (67) were tied for second place on 14 under.
Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67 and was nine strokes off the lead.
McIlroy can clinch a sixth Race to Dubai title with a win this week.


Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool

Updated 08 November 2024
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Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool

  • Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp
  • The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge

Liverpool: Arne Slot said he is not shocked by a stunning start to life in charge of Liverpool as the Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League and Champions League.
The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge in all competitions as the holders have also progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.
Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp.
But he has built on the solid foundations left by the German after Liverpool finished third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season.
“Surprise isn’t the right word I’d use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing, to be consistent is a second thing,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference ahead of hosting Aston Villa on Saturday.
“From the moment I started working with them I saw how much energy they put in on a daily basis and that is I think the reason you can be consistent.”
Liverpool were inspired by the power of the Anfield crowd to come from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend to move two points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League.
A similar atmosphere helped blow Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen away 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Slot is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground but is happy for the fans to get excited about the possibility of just a second league title in 35 years.
“If the end result of them being excited is to bring the atmosphere of the second half against Brighton and the whole game against Leverkusen, I am hoping they will keep being excited because that atmosphere helped us a lot,” added the former Feyenoord boss.
Diogo Jota remains sidelined but should return after November’s international break.


Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

Updated 08 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

  • Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title for 3rd time
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif promises to set up world-class facilities for sportsmen

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif for winning the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championship in Qatar for the third time, Pakistani state-run media reported on Thursday.
Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title in a thrilling final on Nov. 6. He outclassed Ali 5-3: 70-25, 7-87(84), 82(56)-8, 106(106)-08, 82-12, 43-91(58), 0-118 and 93(80)-4.
“Asif made the entire nation proud by winning the international championship for the third time,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster. “The talented youth of Pakistan are highlighting the country’s name in the fields of sports.”
The IBSF, founded in 1971, is the governing body for billiards and snooker worldwide. It represents 85 member countries and is recognized by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the International Olympic Committee.
Asif, 42, first won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012 and went on to win it again in 2019. His victory ties him with India’s Pankaj Advani who has also won the World Snooker Championship thrice.
The Pakistan prime minister said Asif’s family and coach also deserved recognition, adding that providing quality facilities to Pakistani players was top priority of his government.
“The government is making all possible efforts to provide international standard facilities to the players,” he added.
 


Raphinha’s evolution into a more versatile scorer is a big part of Flick’s great start at Barcelona

Updated 08 November 2024
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Raphinha’s evolution into a more versatile scorer is a big part of Flick’s great start at Barcelona

BARCELONA: Raphinha knew he would have a hard time getting off Barcelona’s bench with the soccer world enthralled by teen phenom Lamine Yamal and the club eyeing to sign another hot prospect in the attack.

Instead of pouting, he evolved.

While the entire Barcelona team improved under new coach Hansi Flick, no player has made such a leap forward this season as Raphinha.

His 12 goals and team-leading 10 assists across all competitions are a big part of why Barcelona is playing its best soccer since the exit of Lionel Messi more than three years ago.

But if one player looked to be on the out when the season started, it was the Brazil forward.

Raphinha seemed destined to become a second-choice right-side winger after 17-year-old Yamal helped Spain win the European Championship in dazzling style. To make matters worse, the club was heavily linked to a possible transfer bid to pry Spain left-side winger Nico Williams away from Athletic Bilbao.

That move never materialized for Williams, but Raphinha was still left with either playing in a new position or being a backup to Yamal.

And when Flick gave him the chance to have a new role, he made the most of it.


England gives call-up to more new faces in final squad before Thomas Tuchel takes over

Updated 08 November 2024
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England gives call-up to more new faces in final squad before Thomas Tuchel takes over

LONDON: Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall were called up to the England squad for the first time on Thursday as interim coach Lee Carsley made his final selection before Thomas Tuchel takes charge.

Tuchel does not start until January after being hired to lead the national team’s bid to win the 2026 World Cup.

Carsley will oversee England’s final Nations League games against Greece and Ireland and has continued to look toward a new generation of players, having already handed debuts to Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke since taking over on a temporary basis from Gareth Southgate in August.

Carsley said had not discussed his selection with Tuchel.

“He hasn’t had any influence on the squad selection. I’ve spoken to him by text, but it’s literally congratulations,” he said. “I think he’s highly respectful of the job that not only myself, but the staff are doing.

“We’ve been left to it, like we always have.”

England plays Greece in Athens on Nov. 14 and Ireland at Wembley on Nov. 17.

Carsley will resume his role as England Under-21 coach after those games.