MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 4, 2023

Aryna Sabalenka

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/M. Sakkari

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. You're back in the final. How does it feel to be contesting another championship match here in Madrid?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I'm definitely super happy with another final. Really looking forward for this final.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Does it feel different since Australia? Watching you, it certainly feels different. I'm thinking that she's more confident than ever. Has Australia changed things?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah. I actually changed before Australia. I have become a little bit, like more calm on the court. I don't know. Probably I'm getting older (smiling).

After Australian Open I think, yeah, I think everything changed then. I feel like a different person. I look at the tennis a little bit differently.

Yeah, I have so much belief in myself right now. Yeah, I think Australian Open really changed me.

Q. Can you just talk through today's match? It seemed like a very sharp performance from you. Yeah, seemed like your best match of the tournament, frankly.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I think it was actually my best match of the tournament. I started really well. Then Maria came back.

But mentally I was staying really strong. I knew that she's going to fight for every point. It didn't, how to say, didn't destroy me that she came back. I was still playing, I was still fighting for every point.

Yeah, I'm super happy with the level that I played, and especially with my mental game, I would say. I'm more happy with my mental game.

Q. Obviously you don't know your next opponent, but if it's a rematch of Stuttgart, what would you want to do differently, I guess?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I really want to have this revenge. I think I would just play with more passion. I wouldn't rush things. Yeah, I would just go one more time, try better, and fight for this title.

Q. If you do play Iga on Saturday, can you talk a little bit about the rivalry that you guys have been building over the last two or three seasons? You played a lot obviously last year. You only played your first match I think at the Finals the year before. So it's a lot of matches in a very small amount of time.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah.

Q. What is it like to go up against her consistently? Is it different now that you guys are 1 and 2 contesting finals as opposed to quarters and semis to go up against each other?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I think it's a different match, and of course I prefer play against her in the final than in the quarters.

I think it's really good that we are playing so consistently so we are meeting each other in the finals, and hopefully it can be the same.

But, yeah, it's always tough. It's always great battles. You always have to fight really, really hard against Iga. I'm ready for that.

I would say that before like our first matches last season when I didn't feel my best, it was really tough to play against her because I didn't have so much weapons. I had my character and that's it.

Later on the season when I fixed my serve, I understand that actually I can play well against her, I can beat her. Right now it's a different mentality. Going into this match you just kind of prepare yourself for a tough battle, and whatever happens on court, it's not really bothering you. You're focused, you're ready for that, and you're really enjoying these battles.

Q. What does it take in your opinion to beat Iga on clay? What do you have to do?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, it's going to be really amazing if I can beat a player like Iga on clay court. Yeah, as I said, I don't have to rush things. Like I just have to wait for my opportunity and I just have to, yeah, take it and go for it.

I think in Stuttgart I was like going crazy when I had this like slower shot or like shorter shot or like this approach shot. I was just like going crazy. I was rushing things. I tried to go for winners. This time I'll just play with more passion, and I'll just wait for a better shot to finish the point.

Q. You won here two years ago. Now in another final again. Is Madrid your favorite clay tournament?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah. I really enjoy playing here in Madrid (smiling). Feels like this court is a perfect court for me. I really want to feel this champion tennis here in Madrid.

Q. In the event that you do play Veronika in the final, if you could talk about that matchup and what it is about her -- she's had a great tournament, a lot of really good wins -- what about that makes her so dangerous as a potential opponent?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I saw her matches. She's doing really well, serving well, playing aggressive.

Yeah, I think this court is also good for her, especially with altitude when the ball is flying a little bit faster. Yeah, it's also tough matches against her. It's very fast tennis I would say with Veronika, and it's not easy to play on her serves. So, yeah, it's another battle.

Q. A lot has been spoken over the last 18 months regarding your serve. You used the word "fix." "Once I fixed my serve, things got a lot better." I know you touched on it on court in New York last year about the biomechanics. Can you tell people like me that are not experts with biomechanics exactly what you mean by "I fixed my serve"?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, my toss was all over the place. I was tossing the ball too much forward, so I was like falling into the ball so there was like no way, from biomechanics side, there was no way I could put this ball inside of this square.

So I fixed my toss a little bit closer to me. Also with the arms a little bit differently. It's tough to explain in few words like what exactly I fixed. I fixed so many things.

Yeah, happy that I was able to be open for this stuff, because I think before when my serve was working well but it wasn't like right, I wouldn't be able to open for this stuff. I would think, like, why should I work on my biomechanics if my serve is working?

But actually I remember myself, I remember that my serve was dropping on the important point, and so it means that I didn't really know how to put the serve in. I just felt it.

Right now I have clear understanding like what I have to do to put this ball in and to serve well. Yeah, I'm happy that this thing happened to me, because then I was able to open for biomechanic and to change my serve to better.

Q. You have many more rest days in this tournament compared to when you reached the final last time. Curious how you have been spending them and how different it feels compared to...

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I really like when you have this extra day off so you can go for a good dinner, you can enjoy the city, you can actually see the city. Because before when you play by day by day, you didn't have a lot of chances to go and visit any beautiful places. You were just like hotel and court.

Right now it's really cool to have these kind of tournaments, because then you can actually see where you're playing and learn a little bit about each culture. That's really cool, and I really like it.