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Following her Wimbledon semifinal loss, Aryna Sabalenka stated that she was aiming to reach the World No. 1 spot by the end of the year.
Sabalenka was defeated by repeat finalist Ons Jabeur 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on Thursday, July 13. The encounter was of great significance for the reigning Australian Open champion who was aiming not only for her second Grand Slam final, but also the World No. 1 spot held by Iga Swiatek.
The Belarusian was just two games away from victory, leading in the opening two sets 7-6 (5), 4-2 before allowing Jabeur to make a remarkable comeback to win. During her post-match press conference, Sabalenka stated that she wasn’t at her best during the match and admitted to feeling a little nervous.
“Overall, I didn't play my best tennis today. It was just, like, combo of everything. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of luck for her at some points. Sometimes I didn't expect that much lines,” she said.
The 25-year-old praised Ons Jabeur for her impressive display and vowed to be mentally tougher next time around.
“I mean, she played unbelievable tennis and I didn't play the way I supposed to play,” Sabalenka added. “I'll just keep working, keep pushing myself. Hopefully next time mentally I'll be tougher in the semifinals.”
Sabalenka also spoke about falling one win short of her top-spot debut. She stated that she was not focusing on her ranking ahead of the semifinal clash.
“I wouldn't say that I was thinking about that,” she said.
The World No. 2 stated that that she aims to finish the year as the World No. 1.
“For me it's more about how you finish the year than during the year you're first, second, you just go back and forth. For me it's more about finish the year. I'll keep pushing myself and do everything I can to finish this year as world No. 1,” she said.
"I can't complain about my results this year" - Aryna Sabalenka after Wimbledon loss
Aryna Sabalenka has found tremendous success this year and is witnessing the best season of her career so far.
The Belarusian kicked off her campaign with title wins at the Adelaide International 1 and the Australian Open. She featured in the finals of the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells and the WTA 500 in Stuttgart, before claiming her third trophy of the year at the WTA 1000 in Madrid.
The 25-year-old also made the semifinals of the French Open last month. She has made an appearance in at least the semifinals of all Grand Slams contested this year, as well as the last four Slams if we include last year’s US Open. Sabalenka has also qualified for the WTA Finals, and is in the top spot at the moment.
“It's definitely one of the best years so far. I mean, I can't complain about my results this year, to be honest. The far you go, the more you want. It's still tough to, yeah, recover after these kind of matches,” Aryna Sabalenka said.
The Wimbledon semifinal defeat is Aryna Sabalenka’s fifth such loss in the final-four stage. She stated that she is aiming for a better result at the upcoming US Open.
“What do I expect at the US Open? Well, just do better. If I get to the semifinals, just do better than I did in the last semifinals,” she said.
After victory over Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur will take on Marketa Vondrousova in Saturday's Wimbledon final.
