Aryna Sabalenka reflects on ‘disaster’ shoulder injury she suffered before maiden US Open victory
Aryna Sabalenka said how difficult it was for her to deal with the shoulder injury she suffered ahead of the 2024 Wimbledon.
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Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X)
Aryna Sabalenka dealt with a major injury blow before the North American hard-court swing. In a recent interview, Sabalenka confessed how the injury was a disaster for her.
Sabalenka injured her shoulder during her campaign at the Berlin Open and was forced to retire from her quarterfinal match against Anna Kalinskaya. She then skipped Wimbledon and became one of the several tennis players to skip the Paris Olympics. She then played in the Citi Open, where she reached the semifinals. Following the tournament, the Belarusian participated in the Canadian Open and made it to the quarterfinals.
The 26-year-old, however, had a successful campaign at the Cincinnati Masters as she ended the tournament as the champion with a win over home favorite Jessica Pegula. Pegula was the one whom Sabalenka once again defeated, this time in the US Open final, to win her first title at Flushing Meadows. The injury blow made Sabalenka realize how continuously playing took a toll on her body.
It was a disaster for me. I felt like because I didn’t stop when I had to, I got to the point when I got injured. I thought the only way to get through a difficult challenge was just to work through it, and keep focusing on my job. It was too much stress on myself without realizing that.Aryna Sabalenka told Tennis.com
ARYNA SABALENKA REIGNS SUPREME IN NEW YORK! pic.twitter.com/rVEGvuBMe4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2024
Aryna Sabalenka says how difficult it was for her to miss Wimbledon
Aryna Sabalenka is now a three-time Grand Slam champion, winning all the titles on the hard courts. Her best results at both the French Open and Wimbledon were semifinal appearances (once in the former and twice in the latter). After her US Open victory, Sabalenka said how it was important for her to win the title after not being able to play at the SW19.
The difficult one was also, like being injured and not able to play Wimbledon. It was a new experience for me. It’s also a very special place here, the US Open. I also had a lot of tough losses in the past.Aryna Sabalenka said after her US Open win
The US Open title was her third one on the WTA Tour this year as she defended the Australian Open earlier this year before winning in Cincinnati. The World No. 2 is 46/11 on the season.
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