"They do a lot for me" - Aryna Sabalenka thankful for her team's unwavering support in helping her regain World No. 1 rank from Iga Swiatek
Aryna Sabalenka took over the World No. 1 spot on the WTA rankings from Iga Swiatek ahead of the 2024 WTA Finals. Currently competing at the year-end championships, the Belarusian expressed gratitude to her team for helping her rise to the summit of women's tennis.
Aryna Sabalenka became World No. 1 for the second time in her career on October 14 on the back of winning her third singles Grand Slam title at the 2024 US Open. The Belarusian recently talked about her feelings after becoming the World No. 1 and thanked her team for helping her achieve the feat.
In her on-court interview after beating Jasmine Paolini in the second group stage clash at the 2024 WTA Finals on November 4, Sabalenka took the opportunity to thank her team, consisting of coach Anton Dubrov, fitness coach Jason Stacy and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski. She gave them credit for guiding her through turbulent times to become the best female tennis player in the world. Sabalenka went on to call them the "best team ever."
“I’m proud of myself. Not only myself, my team. We were able to overcome a lot of things. To be able to show such great tennis and become world #1, It’s team work. It’s not only me. The behind the scenes work nobody sees. But they do a lot for me. I really appreciate them for everything they do for me. This is motivation for me to keep winning on this court. Those guys deserve to be called the best team ever,” Sabalenka said.
Anton Dubrov worked as Aryna Sabalenka's hitting partner before becoming her full-time coach in 2020. Under his tutelage, the Belarusian has won five Grand Slam titles (3x singles, 2x doubles) and five WTA 1000 titles. Stacy joined Sabalenka's team back in 2018 as a performance coach. Meanwhile, Vasilevski, a former ATP pro, became the Belarusian's hitting partner after retiring from the tour in 2022.
Aryna Sabalenka eyes year-end World No. 1 ranking for first time in 2024
Aryna Sabalenka could finish as the year-end World No. 1 for the first time in her career if she wins her last group stage clash at the 2024 WTA Finals. The Belarusian had a 1046-point lead over Swiatek at the top of the WTA rankings before the WTA Finals. Sabalenka's previous best year-end ranking has been World No. 2 in 2023 and 2021.
The 26-year-old has so far defeated Zheng Qinwen and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in group stages of the 2024 WTA Finals. She is assured of finishing top of the purple group and will face Elena Rybakina, who has been eliminated from the tournament, in the final group stage clash.
Sabalenka is competing in the WTA Finals for the fourth consecutive year in 2024. She finished runner-up to Caroline Garcia in 2022 and lost to Swiatek in the semifinals in 2023.