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Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic share 12 Australian Open singles titles between them. And while the Serb is far ahead with 10 titles to his name, Sabalenka is looking to catch up.
The Belarusian is getting ready to compete in the Dubai Tennis Championships, her first appearance since winning Down Under. During her pre-tournament press conference, she humorously attributed her recent success at the Australian Open to brief interactions between her and the Serb from last year.
"Aryna, I remember in the XO in Abu Dhabi the year before, you were hanging around with Novak. Same team, training together. Next thing you know you're winning back-to-back Australian Opens. Have you talked about this and are you trying to pull a Novak there?" the World No. 2 was asked.
"I guess I need to speak more often to Novak maybe. Maybe that's why I'm winning. I need to talk about that," Aryna Sabalenka responded. "But, no, we didn't joke around about the topic."
Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic looking forward to first tournament since Australian Open
Novak Djokovic, who missed out on a record-extending 11th Australian Open title last month, has taken some time away from the Tour. The Serb made the semifinals in Melbourne before losing to Jannik Sinner in four sets. He is next scheduled to play at Indian Wells.
For Aryna Sabakenka, the start to the year was more promising as she got her hands on a second consecutive Australian Open title.
She reflected on her triumph in Melbourne during a pre-tournament presser in Dubai, saying she and her team had a great time celebrating. However, she quickly added that the victory was now in the past and that the goal was to focus on winning the next big title.
"It's been amazing time," Aryna Sabalenka said. "I was super excited. We celebrate my win - our win. Yeah, we had so much fun. Yeah, I'm still emotional about that. I think it's the best thing you can ever, ever get."
"But, as I say, it's already in the past and I need to focus on the next one," she added.
Sabalenka will open her Dubai Tennis Championships campaign with a second-round contest against Donna Vekic, who beat Wang Xinyu in her opener.
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