“My dad wanted me to be No. 1, I'm doing it for him" - When Aryna Sabalenka disclosed she wanted to fulfill her late father's wish after his death

Aryna Sabalenka has claimed that she was competing in tennis because her father wanted her to be the World No. 1.

Sabalenka suffered a huge personal tragedy in November 2019 as her father Sergey suddenly died, aged only 43.

“It was something unexpected, he was young, he was 43, and I didn’t want to say that but I think people should know," she said during the Adelaide International in 2020.

The Belarusian stated that she found it extremely difficult to practice mentally during the pre-season and wasn't excited about the matches she would play.

“During the pre-season it was tough to practice mentally," Sabalenka added. "I didn’t think too much actually. I couldn’t leave, because I knew it was a tough situation with my family and I couldn’t leave them but somehow I needed to go. I wasn’t excited about the matches, I just went there because I have to.”

Sabalenka claimed that she was just trying to fight for her father because he wanted her to be the World No. 1.

“I’m just trying to fight because my dad wanted me to be No. 1. "I’m doing it for him so that’s what is helping me to be strong right now," Sabalenka said.

Aryna Sabalenka was seeded sixth at the 2020 Adelaide International, which was her first tournament of the year. She reached the semifinals following wins over Hsieh Su-wei, Bernarda Pera, and Simona Halep. The Belarusian was beaten 6-4, 7-6(4) by eventual runner-up Dayana Yastremska in their last-four clash.

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Aryna Sabalenka fulfilled her father's wish by becoming World No. 1 in both singles and doubles

Aryna Sabalenka in action at US Open 2023

Aryna Sabalenka eventually fulfilled her father's wishes as she attained the World No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles.

The Belarusian became the doubles World No. 1 in 2021 by winning the women's doubles tournament at that year's Australian Open, with Elise Mertens as her partner. The pair had previously won the women's doubles title at the 2019 US Open.

Sabalenka recently became the singles World No. 1 after Iga Swiatek suffered a fourth-round exit at US Open 2023. The Belarusian thus became only the eighth woman to hold the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles.

Sabalenka is currently in the fourth round of the US Open, where she will be up against Daria Kasatkina. The winner of the match will face either fifth seed Ons Jabeur or 23rd seed Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals.