In 2023, the clay court season of Aryna Sabalenka found its epilogue with a bitter defeat against Karolina Muchova. One step away from the final of Roland Garrosthe Belarusian player – ahead 5-2 in the decisive set – pulled the plug, wasted a match point and lost five consecutive games.
That match taught Sabalenka more than one lesson, determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past and push herself beyond her limits. After the sad and disappointing American trip, the 25-year-old from Minsk will play the first tournament of 2024 on clay in Stuttgart.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will be able to count on the presence – in addition to Sabalenka – of tennis players of the caliber of Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Qinwen Zheng, Marketa Vondrousova And Hon Jabeur.
Aryna Sabalenka does not forget the defeat against Muchova in Paris: “It still hurts”
“I’m super happy to be here again.
Obviously the courts are faster here – the same goes for Madrdi’s WTA 1000 due to the altitude – than in Rome and Paris. In Rome the playing conditions are very slow, as in Paris. This is the main difference.
I like playing on clay. Preparation for the clay court season begins immediately after the Miami Open. I took a couple of days off and started training on clay. I think Stuttgart is a great place to start the season on this surface,” Sabalenka said at the press conference.
“You have to get into the right state of mind, slide and be ready to play long rallies. I like to play many tournaments before a Slam. It’s important for a player to be aware that she can play well on all surfaces.”
Just thinking back to the match lost against Muchova, Sabalenka finally added: “Last year I came close to reaching the final at Roland Garros and that defeat in the semi-final still hurts. But I always say: ‘It’s not a defeat but a lesson’.
I think that experience is important and I hope to do better this year. If I were to find myself in the same situation, there is no possibility that I would do the same (laughs, ed.).”
