Aryna Sabalenka strides onwards. The world number one has advanced to the next round at the Mutua Madrid Open after another entertaining bout in the Caja Magica. She has never failed to reach the final in Madrid after winning her opener and is now in the last sixteen.
It was by no means a straightforward match on Sunday. After dropping the first set to world number twelve Elise Martens, her response was that of a champion. Their third-round encounter was the first real test for Sabalenka as she had to come back to earn herself a ticket to round four. After two hours, the match finished 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
After her win, Aryna visited the Mutua Madrid Open twitch channel to discuss her seventh appearance in the main draw in Madrid: “I think I struggled to find my game, it was a difficult match. I didn’t manage to play my best level but I’m very happy to have turned it around and progressed”.
Two titles in Madrid, and a runner-up last season in what is considered one of the greatest matches in the history of the tournament, if not the greatest. She lost to Iga Swiatek in a nail-biting battle in which she let slip two championship points: “Despite the end result, I can confirm that I really enjoyed myself. I have few regrets about that day. It was a great match”, remembered Aryna. However, she is now out for revenge: “Hopefully we can have a rematch in a few days…”. It would be the third consecutive final between the two players in Madrid, something never seen before in the Spanish capital.
As well as her performances at the tournament, Sabalenka spoke about other aspects of her professional career. One of them was social media and how she uses it to transmit a more accurate image of herself: “I have a great team. I think I seem really aggressive on court and in reality I’m a very warm person. I think that social media helps me show what I’m really like. It’s important to me and I put a lot of pressure on my team to help me with it. We have to enjoy everything and find a balance”.
The recent runner-up in Stuttgart also had a few words for her friend Paula Badosa: “I’m really sad that she can’t play in front of her people. I wish her a quick recovery. It was better to stop and deal with it, hopefully she’ll be 100% soon”. Regarding Sara Sorribes’ situation, she said: “It’s a very mental game. I understand the frustration that she may be going through at this time. If the best thing for her health is to stop then I’m happy that she’s done so and that she can recharge her batteries as soon as possible and come back more motivated than ever”.
The Sabalenka phenomenon is starting to take on some unexpected dimensions. This week, for example, a sizeable group of Brazilians have been following her everywhere she goes: “They’re the best, I don’t think I’ve ever felt support like theirs, because they’re not from my country and I wasn’t expecting it. They’re really fun, I’d never experienced that before. I’ve never been to Brazil, but I’m happy that my community of fans is still growing and hopefully I can go soon”, said the tournament’s top seed.
When she said goodbye, Sabalenka signed out with a few words of Spanish: “Gracias, Madrid. Vamos!”, she said with a laugh. “The truth is that Paula doesn’t teach me Spanish. Badosa doesn’t believe in me,” concluded the world number one with a smile. It looks like you will be here for a few days yet though, Aryna, so there’s plenty of time to learn a little more!
