Aryna Sabalenka makes her feelings known on Mirra Andreeva's team with amusing comparison after losing Indian Wells final
Aryna Sabalenka fell short against Mirra Andreeva in the Indian Wells final, failing to convert her one-set advantage into victory. Her opponent raised her level to win the summit clash 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Despite failing to win the trophy, Sabalenka, who had earlier lost the Indian Wells final to Elena Rybakina in 2023, had plenty of positive things to say about her opponent.
The World No. 1 started her on-court interview by congratulating Andreeva for her incredible run to the title. She was quick to take note of her young age while also praising her team. She went on to joke that if she had the same team back when she was 17, she would have been an even better player than she is now.
Sabalenka, however, was quick to clarify that she had no complaints with her current team, describing them as “the best”.
"Congrats on having a great team," Aryna Sabalenka said. "If I had the same team you have at your age, I’d probably be a better player by now Don’t look at my team. I have the best team right now. I mean before!"
Later during her post-match press conference, Sabalenka continued to heap praise on Andreeva, saying it is nice to see her having surrounded herself with positive people.
"That's impressive to see what she's doing, and she's so young," Aryna Sabalenka said, "And as I said, she's surrounded herself with the right team. It's nice to see a good environment around her and it's impressive to see her success."
"I'll take all the positives" - Aryna Sabalenka on Indian Wells run despite final loss to Mirra Andreeva
The loss in the final notwithstanding, Aryna Sabalenka had a great run at Indian Wells this year. She posted five big wins over the course of the fortnight, including avenging her Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys.
Speaking about the experience during her post-match press conference, Sabalenka said she would be taking back all the positives and work towards not repeating the mistakes that she made this week.
"I will think about all of the matches I played here before the finals," Aryna Sabalenka said. "I'll take all the positives from those matches, and I'll make sure that I'm not gonna make the same mistakes."
Up next, Sabalenka will be competing at the Miami Open, the second stop of the Sunshine Double. She is also the top seed in the women's draw.