"For the first time, I experienced fear of getting injured again" - Aryna Sabalenka on 'challenging' period before Cincinnati Open final run

Aryna Sabalenka recently talked about the "challenging" period of time she went through due to a shoulder injury before her final run at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Making it to the championship match in Cincinnati has been the Belarusian's best result at the tournament so far.

Sabalenka is seeded third in the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Cincinnati and she began her campaign in the second round, having received a first-round bye. She defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round and then went on to beat Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-2 in the third round to secure her spot in the quarterfinals .

In the last eight, the World No. 3 emerged victorious against 10th seed Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 6-3, 6-2, and then advanced to the final after a dominant 6-3, 6-3 win over top seed Iga Swiatek.

During the post-match press conference following her win over Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka opened up about the difficulties she faced due to the shoulder injury she sustained during her quarterfinal match against Anna Kalinskaya at the 2024 Ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin. This injury subsequently forced her to miss the Wimbledon Championships.

The former World No. 1 made a comeback at the Citi Open after recovering from the injury. Sabalenka admitted that the fear of re-injuring had affected her performance in Washington and Canada and had hindered her from using her full potential of her arms.

"I would say that was a challenging time for me and for the first time I experienced something like fear, having a fear of getting injured again. That was tricky. In those two tournaments I was overprotecting my shoulder. I didn't want to straighten my arm that far. I was trying to keep it close. It was tricky, I was fighting with my head obviously and that was an interesting experience," Sabalenka said [1:33].

Aryna Sabalenka stated that after playing several matches, she gradually overcame her fear of re-injury and was able to play to her full potential at the Cincinnati Open.

"With every match I played I felt better and better in my shoulder, more confident that I'm not going to injure it again. So I think that was the most tricky part. That's why I was frustrated and something new was happening for me and I'm really happy that I was able to separate myself from that injury," she added [2:07].

Sabalenka said that she did a lot of exercise, rehab and treatment to make herself match ready.

"I did a lot of rehab, I did a lot of treatment, I did a lot of exercises, so my team was like, 'Nothing is going to happen. That is absolutely fine and you're not going to get injured. Work through this fear.' Just like that it clicked and that's what happened here and I'm really happy with that," Aryna Sabalenka said [2:30].

Aryna Sabalenka will face Jessica Pegula in Cincinnati Open 2024 final

Aryna Sabalenka will go up against sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the final of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

Like Sabalenka, Pegula kicked off her campaign at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Cincinnati in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She defeated Karolina Muchova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round and then triumphed over compatriot and qualifier Taylor Townsend 6-2, 6-3 in the third round.

In the quarterfinals, the American emerged victorious against Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) and then went on to defeat Paula Badosa 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals to secure her spot in the final where she will face Sabalenka.

Sabalenka and Pegula have faced each other six times on the WTA Tour, with the Belarusian emerging victorious in four of those six encounters. Their most recent match was at the 2023 WTA Finals which Pegula won in straight sets.

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Since joining Sportskeeda as a journalist in January 2023, Sreeja has remained steadfast in delivering thorough coverage of the tennis world. Her bachelor's degree in English has proven invaluable, with over 1000 articles already under her belt for the company.

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Edited by Pritha Ghosh