Aryna Sabalenka looks back on 2024: “No room for disappointment”

The 2024 WTA Finals did not go as planned for world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The top seed lost her final match of the group stage to Elena Rybakina on Wednesday and was knocked out of the semi-finals by Coco Gauff on Friday.

Despite ending her season on a sour note with back-to-back defeats, the 26-year-old is pleased with what she has achieved this year. Sabalenka finished with a record of 54–12 and four singles titles (including the Australian Open and US Open titles). Earlier this week, she clung the WTA annual list of the WTA world ranking number 1 at the end of 2024.

Perhaps most importantly, Sabalenka came back from one rare shoulder injury causing her to miss Wimbledon and the Summer Olympics in Paris. When Sabalenka returned, she played the best tennis of her career.

So after her loss to Gauff on Friday, Sabalenka gave a positive assessment of her 2024 season. The current face of women’s tennis sat down on the stage in Riyadh with her hair still wet from the post-match shower to answer questions that required introspection.

“I believe I have achieved a lot this season. There is no room for disappointment. I just have to be proud of myself. I won two Grand Slams, became number 1 in the world. I will end the year as number 1 in the world, as something I wanted last year and didn’t succeed,” said Sabalenka.

She continued, “So yeah, super excited for next year and I just want to push myself in those extra moments that I had this season, and I didn’t close any games; I had to close.”

As for next year, Sabalenka is already thinking about what she needs to improve to defend her title at the 2025 Australian Open in January.

Sabalenka said: “I’m just going to keep working on my mentality, keep working on my game and make sure I’m fresh at the start of the season. Make sure I bring my best tennis back to Australia.” “

While Sabalenka heads home for some much-needed rest and relaxation, Gauff will face Qinwen Zheng in the final match of the WTA Finals on Saturday, November 9. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated’s broadcasts Serve on SI for all the most important news from sports.