After Aryna Sabalenka’s Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Amanda Anisimova last month, the world No 1 walked into the media theatre determined not to make the same mistake. Sabalenka laughed as she sat down, telling the room: “You’re not going to see that Roland Garros press conference, so anyone who was waiting for that, you can leave right now!”
Sabalenka arrives at the US Open without winning a grand slam title this season, the same as 124 other players in the women’s singles draw, the majority of whom would trade their results for Sabalenka’s in an instant. The 27-year-old has reached the finals of the Australian Open and Roland Garros, as well as the semi-finals of Wimbledon. She has won three titles, including WTA 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells and Madrid, and remains world No 1 ahead of her return to New York, where she will be defending her title.
