US OPEN

August 22, 2025

Aryna Sabalenka

Press Conference

An interview with:

ARYNA SABALENKA

THE MODERATOR: Welcome. Your thoughts as you get ready for this US Open.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm excited to be back. I love this place. I have amazing memories from last year. So I'm excited to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You have always talked that this is your favorite tournament. Just talk about how important it is for you to come back and defend that title.

ARYNA SABALENKA: How important it is? Pretty important (smiling). As I said, being defending champion is an amazing feeling. Gives you a lot of great vibes and a lot of excitement going into the tournament.

So it's very important tournament for me. Last slam of the year. I learned a lot of tough lessons this season on the Grand Slams. I really hope for the best here at the US Open, knowing how much I love play here, knowing how much of the support I feel.

It's an amazing place. I really hope I'll do my best here.

Q. You have been world No. 1 all year long. You have been incredibly consistent. But if you reached the end of the year without a Grand Slam title, would you find that hard to take?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, of course ideally I would love the finish the season with a Grand Slam and world No. 1. But I think if this goal not gonna be achieved, I'll still think that this season been really amazing for me. All of those tough lessons that I learned this season only going to make me stronger for the next one.

I'll work even harder in the preseason to make sure next year going to be only year of success, like truly success.

Q. We have noticed that Coco Gauff is now working with Gavin MacMillan. Could you reflect on maybe how long it took you in terms of working with him to implement the changes that you ended up...

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm really grateful for his help during really tough times. For me, he really helped me with the serve. I really appreciate him for everything.

You know, everyone is different. I was really desperate for changes, and I was ready to change whatever, to change my serve and to get better and to finally, you know, get back on track with my serve. So for me, it was basically, like, couple of weeks, and I was sort of fixed.

But everyone is different, and I wish them both the very best and hopefully everything can work out well for them.

Q. Can I ask about a match you played against Kaia Kanepi here three years ago. Saved three match points. Memories about that crazy match? To what extent was that a turning point, as you just started working with Gavin?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Oh, I remember. Yeah, it was crazy match, like, really crazy match. I'd say crazy conditions. The sun was going down, and the shades were, like, really crazy. It was tricky. Both of us I felt like barely could see the ball. It was really a fight with everything against the player, against the conditions, against everything. Plus I was working on the serve, so it was already a lot of things.

I remember, yeah, I came back from match points down. I won that match, and it gave me a lot of confidence. I think I made semis that year, right? It was an amazing start of our work with Gavin. And yeah, that was fun and not really fun match.

Q. Have you always felt comfortable at this tournament or did that take some time for you to get used to what it's like? It's very different from a lot of the other tournaments.

ARYNA SABALENKA: I feel like everything takes little time. I remember first times coming here, actually played quallies -- no, I think I went through quallies. But everything takes time. And the first times I was coming here, it was I felt too big and I felt like the goal is so far, and a lot of work has to be done before I will be able to achieve my dream.

I'd say the first times were really confusing, and I was just trying to find my way. But lately, lately, I don't know, maybe last five or six years, I feel so comfortable and I enjoy a lot this tournament.

And I don't know, there is something special about US Open, I have to say. Like the atmosphere and the stadium is insane. The support, people who come watch you play, is just incredible place.

Lately, like five years probably, I really, really excited every time to come to US Open.

Q. What are your thoughts when you realized that over the last 11 years there have been 10 different women's singles champions here?

ARYNA SABALENKA: My thought is to change that (smiling). My hopes, I'd say.

You know, I never actually even, like, saw that, you know? I was trying to ignore this statistic.

But, wow, that's insane, you know, how unpredictable woman tennis, right? Should we change it? Should we try at least to change it?

Q. What do you think it says about the challenge to repeat?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I think it's a lot of pressure, definitely. Just because this place is so big, and it feels bigger than the other slams in some ways, you know.

Maybe every time defending champions comes and they put so much pressure on themselves. But I feel like I'm experienced enough to just focus on myself and try to replicate that result.

Q. When you were going through the process of working on your serve and working with Gavin, what was the hardest thing about it, especially since you were doing it in real time? It's not like you went away for a month. You did it and played Canada, Cincinnati, and here through all of it. What was sort of the hardest thing to get to the point where it was workable again?

ARYNA SABALENKA: You know, for me wasn't really hard, because I tried literally everything, and nothing would help me to fix my serve. It was the last step before I would say, Okay, bye-bye, tennis. I was so desperate, so I wasn't really doubting my decision.

The moment we start working, I felt like, Okay, there is something. I definitely have a better feeling on my serve. And I just trusted the process, trusted myself. Like the first tournament I played, I already felt the difference and I felt, Okay, I'm getting there.

So for me was just it was about repetitions, a little bit of a time, and, like, full commitment to whatever he was saying.

Q. As a great tennis star, a great athlete, you get to meet so many special people in special settings. Outside of your family and your support team, who would you say is the most special person that you have met during these years?

ARYNA SABALENKA: My boyfriend.

Q. Why?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Because. Because he's the kindest person and fun and biggest support.