"If somebody told me I'll be No. 1 one day, I would never believe that" - Aryna Sabalenka expresses gratitude as she rises to the top of WTA rankings

Aryna Sabalenka took to social media earlier on Monday (September 11) to express her happiness at becoming the new World No. 1. The 25-year-old admitted that she never thought realistically about rising to the pinnacle of the WTA rankings.

She was also grateful to her family and her team, who worked day and night to help her achieve her dreams.

"If somebody would ever tell me when I just started to play tennis that one day I'll be number one in the world, I probably would never believe in that but I am very fortunate and thankful that I had so much support throughout my whole life from my family and people around me to achieve what I have today!" Sabalenka wrote on her Instagram handle.

Towards the end of her post, Aryna Sabalenka also thanked her fans and her peers who had congratulated her on the occasion.

"Thanks to everyone for your warm messages you make me feel very special. Hungry for more!" she added, followed by a few emojis.

The newly-minted World No. 1 has recorded a 50-11 win-loss record so far this season, the highlights of which include winning the 2023 Australian Open and finishing as the runner-up at the US Open.

The Belarusian currently has a WTA rankings tally of 9,266 points. She is 1,071 points clear of Iga Swiatek at the moment and will be looking to further cement her hold on the No. 1 position in the fall season.

Aryna Sabalenka's rise to World No. 1 position was her late father's lifelong dream

Aryna Sabalenka required a lot of mental strength to move on from her father Sergey's death in 2019

In 2020, Aryna Sabalenka disclosed to the media how her late father Sergey always wanted her to ascend to the apex of the WTA rankings. Sergey Sabalenka, who had introduced his daughter to tennis at a very young age, passed away in 2019 at the age of 43.

Sabalenka subsequently struggled for form and motivation following Sergey's death. The Belarusian, however, always stayed strong as she wanted to fulfill her father's lifelong dream.

“I’m just trying to fight because my dad wanted me to be No. 1," she had said back then. "I’m doing it for him so that’s what is helping me to be strong right now. During the pre-season, it was tough to practice mentally."

Aryna Sabalenka had previously also given an adorable anecdote of the day her late father had first taken her to a tennis court.

She said:

"One day, my dad was just driving me somewhere in the car, and on the way he saw tennis courts. So he took me to the courts. I really liked it and enjoyed it and that's how it was. That's how it started."