"It's helping me...some don't like it" - Aryna Sabalenka expresses differing view after Ons Jabeur's complaint about heavy balls at Cincinnati
Aryna Sabalenka recently claimed that the weather conditions in Cincinnati are helping her control the ball better. Notably, Ons Jabeur had earlier expressed discomfort with the heavy balls being used at the tournament.
After experiencing shoulder pain from playing with heavier balls at the Cincinnati Open, Jabeur questioned why players like Iga Swiatek wanted to switch to heavier balls.
Aryna Sabalenka sailed through to the semifinals of the 2023 Western and Southern Open by defeating Ons Jabeur 7-5, 6-3 on Friday, August 18. Hobbled by a right foot injury, the Tunisian star exited the Cincinnati Open with a dark cloud hanging over her.
Following her victory over Jabeur, Sabalenka attended a press conference where she received multiple questions regarding the weather in Cincinnati as well as the comments of other players about the bouncing of the ball. When asked about the latter, Sabalenka responded that it was fairly comfortable for her and had boosted her game.
"I don't know. I mean, so far I like these balls. I think for my game it's helping me because my shots are getting even more heavier and even more tough to play against," Sabalenka said. "I don't want to complain against these balls (smiling). But, yeah, I know some of the players doesn't really like it because, I mean, it's heavy, it's tough. If your body is not ready to play a long matches, not strong enough, then, yeah, it can become injury. If you asking my opinion, I like it (smiling)”.
Aryna Sabalenka also made some interesting observations about the differences between the courts in Cincinnati and Montreal. She claimed that while the surface in Montreal is faster, the court is bouncier in Cincinnati, and that it would take time for someone who has played many matches on the Montreal surface to adjust to the surface in Cincinnati.
“Well, it's just different, completely different surfaces here and Montreal," she said. "Like, Montreal is super fast. It's just different. Here, the ball bounce a lot higher. Just super different conditions. Yeah, I mean, it takes a little time to adjust to these conditions, especially if you been playing in Montreal till the last stages of the tournament."
Aryna Sabalenka mopped up the court during the rain delay in her third-round match against Daria Kasatkina at the Cincinnati Open
Aryan Sabalenka improved her head-to-head lead over Daria Kasatkina to 4-2 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory on Thursday in the third round of the Western & Southern Open. However, it was not a walk in the park for the Belarusian; the match was delayed three times due to rain.
While waiting out a weather delay, Aryna Sabalenka took matters into her own hands. Using a towerl, she started drying the areas that the organizers had missed.
A video of Aryna Sabalenka comically trying to dry the court was posted to "The Tennis Letter," which can be seen below.
The reigning Australian Open champion will face off against Karolina Muchova, another formidable opponent, in today's semifinals. In their previous meeting, which took place at the 2023 French Open, Muchova emerged triumphant in three close sets.