Aryna Sabalenka Says ‘Dreams Can Destroy You’ As She Reveals Legacy She Wants to Leave Behind

Aryna Sabalenka wants to be remembered as a kind of person who plays tennis well but doesn’t dwell on her career so much that she forgets to have fun off the court. In short, she doesn’t want to be all work and no play. And that’s the legacy the World No.1 wants to leave behind.

Sabalenka is on the verge of losing her No.1 ranking to Elena Rybakina, who will face Iga Swiatek in the final of the Canadian Open, and a win will mean she will be just four points away from dethroning the Belarusian from the top. And the reason is that she is struggling a great deal.

Sabalenka, a player who used to inflict defeats on her opponents, last won a title at the Miami Open this year, and since then, she has made just one semifinal (at the Berlin Open). She recently crashed out of the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Amid her slump in form, Sabalenka sat for an interview with TIME and talked about how she wants the tennis world to remember her.

I want to be remembered as a fighter on court, but so cool and fun off court. I think it’s really important for kids to understand that you have to balance. You don’t have to be fully, fully focused on your dreams. One day, they can destroy you.

On social media, she is pretty active because for her, TikTok is therapeutic, as it helps her forget about tennis for a while. But she obviously gets hateful comments for the same.

You just forget about everything. You try to dance, try to move your body, so for just that 30, 40 minutes, sometimes an hour, it’s just being focused on one thing and not thinking about other stuff. It’s just like a small getaway… Sometimes I go to their [haters] profile and see how perfect they are. And I’m like, ‘Dude, just figure out your own () before you jump into others’ lives.’

Aryna Sabalenka added

But Sabalenka benefited from not using Instagram during her teen years, as it helped her focus on herself and avoid “not really get upset or depressed about not living the best life.“

Greg Rusedski thinks the locker room has started to believe they can beat Aryna Sabalenka

Rennae Stubbs, the coach of Serena Williams, said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast that Aryna Sabalenka “is growing a plaque on the brain“ and the locker room now thinks she is unbeatable. Greg Rusedski also shared a similar opinion on his Off Court with Greg podcast, noting that the locker room has now developed a different perception when facing Sabalenka.

You’re losing one or two or three points a match because the attitude of your opponents have changed when they walk on court, and that’s difficult to get back. I’m not hitting the panic button yet, but Cincinnati’s gonna be big for her. She needs to win that event if she’s gonna come out and win the US Open. She’s gotta make a statement to the locker room because the locker room is starting to believe that they can beat her.

In Cincinnati last year, Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. But at the US Open, she beat home favorite Amanda Anisimova to defend her title.

Sabalenka has played four finals this year and won titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and Miami. She made the final of the Australian Open for the fourth time but failed to defeat Rybakina.

Sabalenka, who lost to Coco Gauff in last year’s French Open, lost in the quarterfinals this year. At Wimbledon, her campaign ended in the fourth round.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Proud of Fighting Spirit After Surviving Naomi Osaka Scare in Toronto