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After a dream start to her season, Aryna Sabalenka has decided to rest for a while by pulling out of the Credit One Open in Charleston. She has cited a hamstring injury, which she suffered during the 2023 Miami Open, as the reason for her withdrawal.
The World No. 2 kicked off the year by winning her first 13 matches, including a title run at the Adelaide International 1 and her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open. But she lost to Rybakina in the summit clash at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this month, before going down to Romania's Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Miami Open.
During her second-round match against Shelby Rogers in Miami, Sabalenka felt discomfort in her left leg and subsequently requested a medical timeout. Although she kept playing that match, the 24-year-old has now withdrawn from the Charleston Open, which is scheduled to be played from April 3-9 in South Carolina.
Sabalenka took to social media on Thursday, March 30, to apologize to the tournament and fans, saying that she needed to give her leg some rest.
"Sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Charleston! I picked up an injury during one of my matches in Miami and I need time to rest and heal. I’m so sorry to the tournament and the fans. I was really looking forward to being back and playing in front of you all," Aryna Sabalenka tweeted.
Aryna Sabalenka hopes to play her best tennis during the clay season
Aryna Sabalenka has won 20 matches this year while losing only three. With the clay season approaching, the second-ranked Belarusian is hoping to maintain her consistency by focusing on herself and blocking out external noise.
"The key would be just to focus on myself, don't think about social media, don't think about the people, expectations," Aryna Sabalenka said. "Just focus on myself. Just do my thing, and I believe that if I'm going to play at the same level or even better, wins will come. I just have to keep working hard and keep moving forward."
"There were some tough lessons in the first part of the season. I'll just learn, reset, and start working again from the beginning. I'll do my best to make sure I bring my best tennis on the clay court season," she added.
Sabalenka's results on the red dirt last year were largely subpar. She crashed out of the Madrid Open in the first round, reached the semi-finals in Italy, and faced a third-round exit at the French Open.
