NEW YORK — As the group at Arthur Ashe Stadium cheered wildly, Aryna Sabalenka put her head down and walked to her chair.
Coco Gauff was mendacity on the courtroom together with her head in her fingers, celebrating her first main title, and Sabalenka was left to marvel how she had misplaced within the closing on the 2023 US Open, after successful the primary set 6-2. She was gracious on the courtroom in defeat, praising Gauff and smiling for images, however when Sabalenka left the courtroom, she slammed her racket on the ground a number of occasions within the participant fitness center earlier than placing it into the trash can.
When she spoke to reporters later, Sabalenka vowed the disappointing loss would solely assist her sooner or later.
“It is [a] lesson for me,” she mentioned. “I’ll study after which come again stronger.”
On Saturday, 364 days and a curler coaster of a season later, the 26-year-old Sabalenka made good on her promise, as she defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 to say the 2024 US Open title. It was Sabalenka’s third main title general — and he or she turned the primary girl to hoist the US Open trophy after dropping within the closing the earlier 12 months since Serena Williams in 2012.
This time when the match was over, it was Sabalenka together with her head in her fingers as she fell to the courtroom. The one racket smash had occurred throughout a tense second late within the first set, and this time the tears operating down her face have been these of pleasure.
She could not assist however take into consideration her 2023 heartbreak, in addition to her 2021 and 2022 semifinal defeats, after the match.
“I simply bear in mind all these robust losses right here on the US Open, and so they say that you’ll see the explanation later and I see the explanation proper now,” Sabalenka mentioned on the ESPN broadcast after the trophy ceremony. “I needed to undergo these things, [and] robust classes to have the ability to maintain this stunning trophy, and now I feel I am the happiest particular person on the earth proper now.”
Probably the greatest gamers on tour on the onerous courtroom, Sabalenka began 2024 very like her 2023 season had begun — with an Australian Open title. And whereas her 2023 victory in Melbourne for the primary main title of her profession had been a three-set battle with Elena Rybakina, this 12 months, Sabalenka made fast work of Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 6-2 for the title. Zheng admitted she had been overwhelmed by Sabalenka’s degree of play and trademark energy.
“She’s a very aggressive participant,” Zheng mentioned later. “If you happen to let an opportunity go [against her], it’ll occur like right now.”
It additionally marked Sabalenka’s sixth consecutive main wherein she reached the semifinals or additional, and it appeared like Sabalenka would stay one of the crucial constant and dominant gamers within the new season.
Then tragedy struck.
Simply days earlier than she was slated to start out play on the Miami Open in March, Sabalenka’s former associate Konstantin Koltsov, a retired skilled hockey participant, died after an obvious suicide whereas staying in a close-by lodge. Sabalenka, who remained largely silent on the matter, turned the middle of a morbid information cycle. She remained within the Miami Open draw and was seen carrying all black throughout a closely attended apply session on the grounds the next day.
“Konstantin’s dying is an unthinkable tragedy, and whereas we have been not collectively, my coronary heart is damaged,” Sabalenka mentioned in a press release. “Please respect my privateness and his household’s privateness throughout this troublesome time.” She did not converse to the media through the event.
She received her opening match towards shut good friend Paula Badosa, who afterward referred to as her a “very, very sturdy girl” and acknowledged how uncomfortable the match had been given the circumstances. Sabalenka misplaced the next spherical.
She then turned her consideration to the clay season, throughout which she reached back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome. Sabalenka had a abdomen virus on the French Open, although, and misplaced within the quarterfinals — marking her earliest exit at a Slam in two years.
Throughout her first event on grass, Sabalenka sustained a debilitating shoulder damage and needed to retire within the first set of her second match. She tried to get better in time for Wimbledon — and even was on website practising on the All England Membership within the days earlier than the principle draw started — however needed to withdraw earlier than her opening-round match. She mentioned she was “heartbroken” in a press release however insisted, as she had on the US Open, that she can be again and “stronger than ever.”
And whereas lots of her top-ranked friends went to Paris once more for the Olympic Video games on the finish of July, Sabalenka already had opted to skip the occasion.
“Particularly with all of the struggles I have been combating the final months, I really feel I’ve to handle my well being,” Sabalenka instructed reporters in June. “It is an excessive amount of for the scheduling, and I made the choice to handle my well being.”
It appeared to repay.
Whereas she did not reference Koltsov’s dying straight on Saturday on the US Open, she mentioned she “did not cease after some challenges in my life” earlier within the season and that it had taken its toll.
“I [kept] pushing myself, and I suppose I simply obtained to the restrict emotionally and bodily and it was essential to type of step again, simply recharge,” Sabalenka mentioned. “Simply that little second with myself actually helped me to be extra contemporary and extra prepared, and I felt like I used to be hungrier than ever this summer time.”
Whereas many different gamers mentioned experiencing fatigue after the grueling summer time schedule and the a number of floor adjustments — and cited it as a possible motive for being on the improper aspect of an upset in New York — Sabalenka had no such difficulty. Coming into Saturday’s closing, she had a 15-2 report on onerous courtroom this summer time in 4 occasions and had received the title in Cincinnati in her closing lead-in event.
“I’ve no regrets on that call [to skip the Olympics],” Sabalenka mentioned on Thursday. “I imply, it seems prefer it was the appropriate one, and I had a good time off. I did numerous remedy, numerous rehab and all that stuff. Then I had just a little camp earlier than the hard-court season. I used to be in a position to reset my thoughts and clear my ideas and begin all the pieces from the start.”
Throughout her run in New York, she had dropped only one set forward of Saturday and held off a slew of seeded opponents, together with No. 7 Zheng within the quarterfinals and rising American No. 13 Emma Navarro within the semifinals.
“[Her forehand is] clearly an enormous weapon,” Navarro mentioned after praising Sabalenka’s skill to boost her degree of play in probably the most essential moments. “Positively felt that at occasions right now.”
Within the closing towards the red-hot Pegula, who had received the Canadian Open title final month and had been Sabalenka’s opponent within the Cincinnati closing, Sabalenka took management late within the first set and received 5 consecutive video games to leap to a 3-0 lead within the second. However Pegula wouldn’t go away with no struggle, successful the subsequent 5 video games and searching poised to drive a decider.
Remembering what occurred final 12 months within the third set and decided to shut it out, Sabalenka mentioned she dug deep into her emotional reserves and let her psychological toughness take over.
“I have been via loads on and off the courtroom, and I simply discovered for myself methods to management my feelings and keep balanced on courtroom,” she mentioned later. “And even when issues aren’t going my manner, I simply preserve reminding myself that, ‘Come on, Aryna, you have been via loads. That is only a tennis match, and you’ll deal with these feelings. You simply should deal with issues it’s a must to do right now to win this match.'”
Pegula, who referred to as Sabalenka one of the best hard-court participant on the earth, seen it too.
“She performed some large tennis in some large moments,” Pegula mentioned.
Through the victory ceremony, on the identical stage she had stood on in 2023 as she fought off tears following the loss, Sabalenka basked within the highlight. She accepted her trophy — and her $3.6 million winner’s test — and posed for images with a smile that simply would not fade. When she addressed the group, she could not assist however mirror on the previous 12 months and acknowledge the journey that had taken her proper again to the identical place — however in a wholly completely different place.
“It’ll sound straightforward, however by no means hand over in your dream and simply preserve attempting, preserve working onerous,” Sabalenka mentioned. “And in case you’re actually working onerous and also you’re sacrificing all the pieces on your dream, you are going to get it sooner or later.
“So, I am simply tremendous pleased with myself. I by no means say that, however actually guys, I am tremendous pleased with myself. I am pleased with my staff that it doesn’t matter what, irrespective of which scenario we have been dealing with this season and prior to now, we have been in a position to undergo it.”
