THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 13, 2023

Aryna Sabalenka

Press Conference

O. JABEUR/A. Sabalenka

6-7, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Aryna Sabalenka.

Aryna, really tough day today. Give us your thoughts.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, it's a tough one to speak about. I don't know. I had so many opportunities and I didn't use it. Felt like she played a little bit better than me in those key moments.

Yeah, tough one. Tough one. Just tough one.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Still the best year of your career. What do you expect in the US Open?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, it's definitely one of the best years so far. I mean, I can't complain about my results this year, to be honest.

The far you go, the more you want. It's still tough to, yeah, recover after these kind of matches.

What do I expect at the US Open? Well, just do better. If I get to the semifinals, just do better than I did in the last semifinals (smiling).

Q. What do you think was the key? Do you already process a little bit? Was the nerves or is something more related to the technical side?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, overall I didn't play my best tennis today. It was just, like, combo of everything. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of luck for her at some points. I mean, she just played really I would say not fast but low and sometimes I didn't expect that much lines. I mean, she played unbelievable tennis.

Just a little bit. Like in these key moments, she got a little bit more lucky, and I didn't play the way I supposed to play.

Yeah, tough match.

Q. Ons' service performance over the tournament has been high. What is it about her serve that makes her hard to break?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Hmm... I would say her serve is not bouncing at all here. It's just really tough to find the rhythm on her serve. Yeah, basically that's it.

Q. There were sort of two halves of that match. Do you think the change was more about your play not being as strong or did she do something different that began to give you more trouble?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, in the second set I would say that she didn't change anything. She didn't change anything. I was just, I don't know... I still processing right now.

But I think in these key moments, I didn't play the way I supposed to play. She got the opportunity, she took it. I was little bit emotionally down, then she was up. She was just going for some crazy shots, which is I would say normally she wouldn't put it in.

I would say that I didn't put her under pressure a lot on my serve, at least. I didn't serve my best today. She was able to play on my serve. She was serving better.

It was just like little bit of everything.

Q. You mentioned nerves and luck on her part. What about the crowd? She's very popular with the crowd here, getting a lot of support. Did you find that at all difficult to cope with?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, I mean, I expect that. I knew that they going to support her more.

Well, I mean, I'm fine with that. If people support my opponent, I'm like, What can I do about that? I'm focusing on myself. I know there is a lot of people watching on TV supporting me. I have my family. I have my team. That's enough for me.

Q. Considering where you were last year, can you still be proud of the run this year? Does it make it even more difficult?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, I'm really proud of myself that I was able to get to the semifinals this year. I'm kind of, like, proud of myself, but at the same time I'm really disappointed that I couldn't get this win.

But still, again, I can't complain about my results this year. There is always a lot more to work on, a lot of things I can improve and get better. Hopefully next year I'll come back much stronger than this year.

Q. You were talking about the improvements you have to make. What do you have to improve?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, I definitely think that the first thing we going to do on practice, my coach is going to play a lot of lines, and I have to play cross-court instead of trying to go for crazy shots from that low balls (smiling).

Oh, my God, I don't know. There are so many things I can improve. I think it's more mentally. It's more mental stuff that I can improve than game, you know?

I mean, everything was going well for me. I just lost it a little bit in the second set, and it's just gone. She was going for crazy shots. I felt like she was doing whatever she want, and everything was going in. I was just, like, trying to put the ball back, like, on that side.

I'll just keep working, keep pushing myself. Hopefully next time mentally I'll be tougher in the semifinals.

Q. You spoke about the possibility of making the Wimbledon final, the nerves. Were you also thinking about the possibility of getting the No. 1 ranking?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I wouldn't say that I was thinking about that. I mean, for me it's more about how you finish the year than during the year you're first, second, you just go back and forth.

For me it's more about finish the year. I'll keep pushing myself and do everything I can to finish this year as world No. 1.