Aryna Sabalenka is set to return to action for the first time since she defended her US Open title a month ago. The world No. 1 decided to skip the recent WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, taking an extended break following her latest Grand Slam triumph.
Sabalenka enjoyed her time off, holidaying in Greece with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, and even went on a double date with Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena. The 27-year-old is now back at the Wuhan Open, where she is the reigning champion, and she explained why she wanted to spend a few weeks away from the tennis tour.
“I feel so good. I just didn’t want to rush my body into another tournament too soon [after the US Open,” the top seed in Wuhan said.
“I took some extra time to recover and make sure I’m ready. Now I can assure you that I will do my best. And hopefully, I can claim this beautiful trophy again.”
The tennis calendar can be long and gruelling, with players like Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic speaking about the relentless schedules in recent days, so it’s no surprise Sabalenka wanted to give herself extra time to rest and recover before powering through the final few weeks of the season.
The world No. 1 has already picked up four titles this year, but it took a while to get her hands on another Grand Slam trophy. Sabalenka suffered heartbreaking defeats in the finals of the Australian Open and French Open, and then lost to Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semi-final.
But she ended the Grand Slam season on a high, getting revenge over Anisimova in the US Open final to defend the title she won last year.
With just a few more tournaments to go before she can have a proper break in the off-season, Sabalenka added: “I’m really happy with my season.
“I’ve learned a lot of tough lessons, especially from the Grand Slam losses earlier this year. But those matches only made me stronger as a player and as a person.
“Of course, I’d love to change a couple of finals, but looking back, those experiences were needed to make me better.”
Sabalenka has a brutal draw in Wuhan. As the No. 1 seed, she received a bye directly into the second round and will face either Anna Kalinskaya or Rebecca Sramkova. No. 16 seed Liudmila Samsonova is a likely opponent in the round of 16.
Elena Rybakina lurks in Sabalenka’s section of the draw, and they could meet in the quarter-finals. In the semis, she would likely take on Amanda Anisimova or Jessica Pegula.