"It was a disaster for me" - Aryna Sabalenka opens up about horror shoulder injury that forced her to miss Wimbledon 2024
Aryna Sabalenka has reflected on the challenge of missing the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Her withdrawal from the London Major was due to an aggravated shoulder injury.
During a press conference ahead of the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, Sabalenka shared that the pain stemmed from her teres major, a shoulder muscle, particularly affecting her serve. Despite reaching the quarterfinals in Berlin, Sabalenka was forced to retire in the first set while facing Russia's Anna Kalinskaya.
The pain worsened, leading Sabalenka to withdraw before her first-round Wimbledon match against Emina Bektas. The World No. 2 later explained on Instagram that she realized during practice that competing at the time would only aggravate her injury.
In a recent interview with Tennis.com, Sabalenka described the shoulder injury as a result of pushing herself too hard, which eventually became stressful. However, she noted that working through the challenge was the only solution.
“It was a disaster for me. I felt like, because I didn’t stop when I had to, I got to the point when I got injured. I thought the only way to get through a difficult challenge was just to work through it, keep focusing on my job. It was too much stress on myself without realizing that,” she said.
Sabalenka was later forced to miss the 2024 Summer Games in Paris due to the injury. However, she made a strong comeback excelling in the North American hard court swing and capturing her third Major title at the US Open.
"If you're sacrificing everything for your dream, you're gonna get it one day" - Aryna Sabalenka after US Open triumph
Aryna Sabalenka defeated home favorite Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win the 2024 US Open, extending her head-to-head record against the American to 6-2.
After her commanding victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka reflected on her past defeats and encouraged others to pursue their dreams.
"You know everything I'm thinking, I remember all those tough losses in the past here and, and you know, just, it's gonna sound easy but never give up on your dream and just keep, keep trying, keep working hard," Sabalenka said during her post-match on-court interview (at 1:44).
The Belarusian expressed pride in herself and encouraged others to keep working hard, believing that success will eventually follow through perseverance.
"And, if you're really working hard and you're sacrificing everything for your dream, you're gonna get it one day. So I'm just, I'm just super proud of myself. I never say that. But really guys, I'm super proud of myself," she added.
Sabalenka, who had also won the 2024 Australian Open after winning the US Open, became the fifth woman to win both hardcourt Majors in a season. She will next compete at the China Open.