"I think I'm done, I can't give you anything else" - Aryna Sabalenka reveals how her coach almost stopped working with her in 2022
Following her victory at the 2023 Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka disclosed how her coach Anton Dubrov almost stopped working with her back in 2022.
Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the 2023 Australian Open title. She has had an incredible start to the year, having also won the tournament in Adelaide prior to the Melbourne Major.
Sabalenka produced some of her best tennis in the final on Sunday, hitting 51 winners and landing 17 aces in total. It was billed as a match between two of the WTA tour's most powerful hitters, and it was the Belarusian who came up trumps.
Aryna Sabalenka's coach Anton Dubrov was seen crying tears of joy as his protege lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. Sabalenka later told 9WWOS that her coach almost quit last year, but she convinced him to stay by assuring him that they would come back "stronger" than ever.
"There was a moment last year when he said 'I think I'm done, I can't give you anything else.' & I was like 'No, it's not you, we just have to work through these tough moments & we'll come back stronger'," she said.
Sabalenka on 9WWOS after seeing her coach in tears: "There was a moment last year when he said 'I think I'm done, I can't give you anything else.' & I was like 'No, it's not you, we just have to work through these tough moments & we'll come back stronger." https://t.co/GKykltXOWz
"I'm really happy that we keep working together, it's even sweeter that we get it together as a team" - Aryna Sabalenka
In her post-match press conference, Aryna Sabalenka shed some more light on the matter. She stated that her coach Dubrov made the remarks after she lost in the round of 16 at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships, at which point he felt he couldn't help her any longer.
"I don't remember exactly, but I think after Dubai, before Doha, after Dubai happened. He just said like, 'I don't know what to do. I think you need to find someone else who's going to help you'," she said.
The Belarusian went on to claim that she knew the problem was not with her coach, but with herself.
"But I was like I knew that it's not about him. It's just something about me. I just have to figure out the problem. Like, we have to get through it," Sabalenka said.
The Belarusian then expressed her happiness at their continued collaboration and said it was "sweeter" to win the title as a team.
"I'm really happy that we keep working together. We went through so many things together. I think it's even sweeter that we get it together as a team. It was a long journey for us. We are here with the Grand Slam title, which is really amazing," Sabalenka said.
With this victory, Aryna Sabalenka will move up to No. 2 in the WTA rankings while Elena Rybakina will move up from No. 25 to No. 10.