Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka proves to she's good enough to be a Major winner

Sabalenka has won 22 of the 23 sets she's played so far this season, taking home the championship in Adelaide and now her maiden Grand Slam trophy.Khalil Ibragimov, Aryna Sabalenka's former coach, pointed to his white mop of hair as he stood beside the tennis courts at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai in 2017.He made fun of Sabalenka, who was then a 19-year-old rated 96 in the world, and her obsessive hard-hitting, saying, "My hair has turned white because of her." She had a straightforward mantra: see the ball, hit it, and hit it hard. Frequently, it would inspire astonishment in the spectators at the temporary stand at the former WTA 125K Series competition that she went on to win as her first ever.tour name Ibragimov, though, was troubled by how frequently the ball was overhit and sent flying off the baseline.He had added, "She's got a lot of force and anger, but she now has to learn how to handle it.She won her maiden tour championship in Mumbai more than five years ago. She has acquired the skills necessary to control her aggressiveness and strike the ball meaningfully above the net and inside the lines. It led to her ascent to No. 2 in the world.And on Saturday, the current No. 5 in the world won her first-ever Grand Slam championship after she overcame a deficit to defeat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open women's singles final.Overcome, Sabalenka struggled to adequately express the feelings."Simply put, I'm ecstatic. really happy Proud. I have no idea how to explain. Just the greatest — this is the happiest day of my life, "During the post-match news conference, the 24-year-old was grinning and holding a glass of champagne in celebration.After three semifinal finishes, first at Wimbledon in 2021 and twice at the US Open in 2021 and 2022, Sabalenka reached the her first singles Major final in Melbourne on the strength of 10 straight wins to open the season. She also didn't lose a set during her run to the final, making her just the third woman this century to accomplish that feat after Agnieszka Radwanska and Israeli star Anna Smashnova in 2002 and 2013, respectively.But in order to reach the outstanding achievements she had this year on the court, she had to put in a lot of effort off the court. It's one thing to channel that aggression and vigour into something worthwhile, but it was crucial to correct her errant serves. She committed 428 double faults in 2017, 21 of which occurred in the exhibition match before to the 2022 Australian Open. This term, she made significant progress and gained confidence. And you could tell when she decisively chose to serve first in the championship match after winning the toss.Surprisingly, she served a double fault in the match's opening point. She grinned as a murmur echoed across the Rod Laver Arena before smashing a strong ace down the middle.

Staying calm

She has mastered the ability to maintain composure under pressure. She had previously worked with a sports psychologist, but she said in a press conference earlier this week that she is now focusing solely on the mental side of her training."I came to the conclusion that only I can provide assistance. "Listen, I feel like I have to deal with it by myself, because every time I hope that someone would repair my problem, it's not mending my problem," I remarked to my psychologist during the preseason "said Sabalenka, who will once more hold the No. 2 ranking in the world."I just need to accept responsibility and deal with that. My psychologist is me."

She stated that she tries to stay in the moment and concentrate on the positives rather than yell as much when she loses a point.When she suffered her first set loss of the season in the final, she responded in such way. She also considered the lessons she had learned from losing the previous three semifinal matches."I discovered that I shouldn't hurry things on the court and that I should be a little calmer. I simply need to play my game, be composed, and have faith in my ability to succeed. I believe that during the course of these two weeks, I was really composed on the court and had a strong sense of confidence in my ability to succeed.Opportunities to win this championship in every game," she had stated on Saturday.

She fought back against Rybakina, the current Wimbledon winner, and forced a tiebreaker by taking the second set and getting a break to force a third set.Sabalenka increased her level of aggressiveness and strength when the third set was tied at 3-3. Her ground strokes had greater force. So much so that on Rybakina's serve in the seventh game of the third set, Sabalenka's average forehand speed increased to 87 mph from her usual 77 mph. Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas, the winners of the men's singles tournament, averaged forehand speeds in the low 80s. But it doesn't mean her backhand didn't work.

She crushed a backhand return on Rybakina's serve to win the break, nearly knocking the Kazakh down in her attempt to keep the ball in play. With an overhead smash to get the lead, Sabalenka ended the point.She quickly earned her first championship point on her own serve before making an illogical second double fault. She did something different on her fourth match point than she had on the previous three. She moved away from the starting line, went to her towel, dried herself off, and then took a few deep breaths. Calm.Rybakina then fired a long forehand to award Sabalenka the victory.

She sobbed while lying on the ground before hugging Rybakina. Later, she sobbed as she headed toward her squad. After that, as she raised the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, everyone smiled and laughed.Later, she discussed her issues with self-confidence and how she overcome them.I've always had this strange impression that when people ask for my signature, I'll question them, "Why are you asking for my signature?" I am nothing. I'm a player, she remarked, adding, "I don't have a Grand Slam and all this stuff."

I recently altered how I feel. I'm developing a higher regard for myself. I begin to realise that I am genuinely where I am because I put in so much effort and am a decent player. I simply had to keep telling myself that I am capable of handling anything whenever I encountered a challenging situation on the court.Aryna Sabalenka, please. an excellent tennis player. Lastly, a Grand Slam champion.