Aryna Sabalenka (No. 5 in the WTA Ranking) knew firsthand that life gives revenge. A year after that fateful Oceania voyage, which saw problems with his ministry worsen, he removed that thorn in the best possible way: He took his first Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open.
Last year, during the ocean tour, the problem with her serve – which had already appeared at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara 2021 – worsened so much that she stood on the court full of frustration, which was expressed in tears and anger. The first events of the cycle, the WTA 500 and the WTA 250 in Adelaide in particular, set alarm bells ringing at the number of double faults committed: the first of which saw her debut against Kaja Kuvan, the Belarusian, then No. 2 in the world, who added 18 to say goodbye to crossing in straight sets against world No. 100 list; in the second, the situation became even more complicated for them. Debuting again at the second draw, generated a record 21 double faults That, despite the wrestling she starred in, was key to her eventually failing in a three-set duel against the 93rd on the track: Rebecca Peterson.
The seriousness of the matter was that along with those performances, the European had amassed a total of 74 double faults in the last two games she played against Maria Sakkari and Iga Swiatek in the 2021 WTA Finals. A difficult start to the year that stretched across much of last season’s calendar.
But a year later, at the same point where the service crisis was intensifying, the situation took a dramatic turn. The big change happened, as the European admitted, thanks to the work she did with a biomechanics expert who worked together to solve the problems with the tool that is part of her game. After gradually retracing its path, it arrived in Australia in early 2023, ready for its premiere in Adelaide.
There she mastered the challenges up to the decisive fight with the Czech Linda Noskova. The trophy shook off the bad feelings he’d felt 12 months ago and he made his way to Melbourne Park with determination and confidence. After a campaign in which she was unbeatable, she reached her first Grand Slam definition with a streak of 10 games and 20 sets won and became Grand Slam champion by defeating Elena Rybakina in the final.In doing so, he completed the Australian cycle that began as a crisis and ended as a moment of eternal glory for his career.
