“I Feel Stronger Than Ever,” Aryna Sabalenka Sends a Clear Warning to Other Competitors at the French Open

Aryna Sabalenka has never won the French Open, her best run at the event remains reaching the semi-finals in 2023.

“I Feel Stronger Than Ever,” Aryna Sabalenka Sends a Clear Warning to Other Competitors at the French Open

Aryna Sabalenka (via X)

Aryna Sabalenka is seeking her fourth Grand Slam at the French Open, which starts on Sunday (May 25). The World No.1 has never lifted the clay-court Grand Slam despite her dominance in the women’s circuit. She has now claimed that she feels better than ever to win the Roland Garros for the first time in her career.

Sabalenka has had sensational results at the hard court majors, having won the Australian Open twice and the US Open once. But at the French Open, she’s yet to reach the final, with her best result coming in 2023 when she got to the semi-finals before losing to Karolina Muchova in three sets.

In fact, apart from the Madrid Open, Sabalenka has struggled in other clay tournaments. This season, she reached the final of the Stuttgart Open but lost to Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. She then claimed the Madrid Open after beating Coco Gauff in the final, but in Rome, she was stunned by Qinwen Zheng in the semi-final.

However, despite the continuing trend on clay this season, the US Open champion believes that she’s capable of winning the French Open. She added during her press conference that she has made significant improvements physically and mentally in her game.

I think throughout the years I improved a lot, and today I feel physically, mentally, and I think my game is pretty much ready to play on clay. Yeah, I definitely feel stronger than ever. Honestly, preparation-wise, there is no difference. Mentally, and like in my head, there is no difference [in being ranked No. 1]. It honestly doesn’t matter your ranking when you arrive in the big tournaments, as we have seen in the past. There are so many crazy upsets happening.

Sabalenka has been handed a good draw at the French Open. She will open her campaign against Kamilla Rakhimova before a potential showdown with Danielle Collins in the third round. The World No.1 is also projected to face Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round, while Zheng might await her in the quarter-finals.

Should she prevail in the last eight, she could face defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals. Swiatek holds an 8-4 lead in their head-to-head record. However, with the current form of Sabalenka, she has an advantage over the Polish star. Sabalenka’s potential final clash could be against Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva.

Aryna Sabalenka says she’s only focused on winning big titles at this stage of her career

Aryna Sabalenka has reached the semifinals of every tournament she has played in since March this year. She’s the most in-form player on the circuit in the past two months. In fact, this season, she has won two WTA 1000 titles and one 500-level tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka Madrid Open 2025
Aryna Sabalenka (image via X)

She revealed during the aforementioned press conference that her goal is to win big trophies. The three-time Grand Slam champion also added that she hates losing in finals.

I think at this point of my career it’s all about winning the titles, the big trophies, and I think you have to set up really huge goals for yourself. Maybe sometimes really crazy goals. I’m more into, winning than just reaching the finals, because losing in the final sucks, I hate it, so that’s not the goal for me.

Last year, at the French Open, Sabalenka exited in the quarter-finals after losing to Mirra Andreeva. Before the match, she suffered food poisoning after eating a raw steak at the tournament. Hopefully, at this year’s edition, she will remain healthy while playing her best tennis.

Also Read: “It’s All in His Head,” Rafael Nadal Explains the Reasons Why Alexander Zverev Has Not Won a Grand Slam Title