DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 16, 2025

Aryna Sabalenka

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for Aryna.

Q. After Australia, then to Doha and here, how are you feeling? Have you recovered from Australia? How did Doha go? Where exactly are you with confidence?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I don't know. Personally Doha didn't go really well. Not the result I wanted to be. But I think tennis-wise I'm feeling better and better. I had some time off after Australia Open. I had maybe not enough preparation for Doha, but I thought I would be ready to play. Yeah, I really hope result here will be little bit better than in Doha.

Q. Have you had a chance to read about the decision regarding Jannik Sinner, the fact that it's a slightly different situation? There seems to be a settlement involved. That might be different from previous cases. What do you think of it?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Honestly that's really tricky topic. I wouldn't really comment anyhow.

Q. A lighter question.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Thank you (laughter).

Q. You were wearing the tiger laces at the Australian Open, a logo on your shoes. How much of that was a collaboration with Nike?

ARYNA SABALENKA: We're working really hard with Nike to push them to something really cool for me. I hope we're going to figure that soon.

I really like that collaboration with little tiger detail on my shoe with Nike. It help me to feel special and feel unique. Also I think it's a cool logo and I like it. It just give me some more motivation to keep pushing myself (smiling).

Q. Did you participate in the design of the logo? It's different from what's on the arm.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I sent some of the idea. I have, like, this tiger on the WHOOP.

I think it's so many tigers, I wanted to change it a little bit. They did like jumping tiger. I like it. Just a little different pictures of tigers. Don't want to keep it same-same every time (smiling).

Q. Right through the Australian Open, Madison kept saying what an inspiration you are for her game. The way you play, going for your shots all the time. When did that happen for you? Was it a transition? Were you always going for your shots, going for your serve, even when you were a kid? Did that suddenly dawn on you one day?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, they take me as inspiration, I should really go, like, for lob shot on the halfcourt and see if they're going to do that on important point. I will have more chances (smiling).

I think I've always been the player like going for the shots. Probably when I was a kid, it wasn't going the right direction. With the time, I figured the right placement on the court.

But I always was an aggressive player. I was just, like, going for it whenever I felt like.

Q. Being an inspiration to all of them, do you in a sense feel like you opened Pandora's box and showed them how to do things?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, I always wanted to be an inspiration, but I wanted to be inspiration for young generation, not my opponents on court (smiling).

It's good to see. I think that's what's good about tennis, sport, is that we push each other. They play aggressive against me. They force me to step in and to show something bigger than that. That's the process of getting better.

In that match, she got me. But I really think that in the next one I'll do everything I can so she going to have to come up with something better than the previous match.

Q. In terms of the goals that you've set for yourself in 2025, it's quite early, but can you talk us through a bit of that and the matchups you enjoyed, the battles, skills that you can pick up from those matches?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Honestly, I think the goal is always the same in each season: just keep working really hard and keep improving my game. You're not going to feel great every day. Just to work on something that going to help you in those bad days, push yourself no matter what. I think that's the goal just overall. It's not like it's changing.

I don't know. I enjoy playing against everyone. It's always great battles no matter whom I'm facing. I just enjoy playing tennis and I enjoy these battles.

Q. You're someone who has played a lot of doubles in the past. The US Open's decision to move the mixed doubles to before the tournament, whether that impacts your decision on whether you might want to enter an event like that.

ARYNA SABALENKA: I'd like to play. I believe it's like two-days' event. I always enjoy playing doubles. It's like little fun sort of exhibition. It's always give me good energy and always help me to play well in the tournaments. I might. I think it's going to be fun to play.

Q. Is there a partner you're hoping to ask or might ask you?

ARYNA SABALENKA: We'll see. Definitely going to be someone good (smiling).

Q. A question about the photo project that you started at the Australian Open. What motivated that? How is that coming along?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Which photo project?

Q. When you're taking the camera out.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, it started on the off-season. We just decided to take Polaroid pictures of good memories. I hope I'm going to have enough good memories this year. So at the end of the year we're going to frame it and just have, like, 2025 season captured in little pictures. I don't know. I think it's cute. We'll see how it turn out.

Q. On court or off court, as well?

ARYNA SABALENKA: It's both. It's everything.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the WTA's decision on Vukov. Do you think that is a good look for the sport, that your association has taken a stand against someone?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I'd say that it's good if there is a reason, like real case. If someone really need protection, I think that's good. But I never saw anything like that from him to Elena. So I don't know if it's good in this case.

But if someone really needs the protection, for someone this happening for real, then it's good show that WTA is really taking care of the players.

Q. Have you seen the draw?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

Q. What's your reaction?

ARYNA SABALENKA: No joke, I was like right before I saw that, I was like, Will be cool if I would go against Alexandrova one more time. Then the guys send me the draw. Oh, my God. I'm magician or something how I can see what's going on over here (smiling). I can, like, predict that.

Q. You want a shot at her?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Yeah, I like to take her matches back. Will be cool to face her again. Hopefully I'll finish different way.

Q. You spend a lot of time training here. The conditions in general in Dubai, you always say the ball flies, it's desert. You haven't won this tournament. You made multiple quarterfinals. Is it something that you really want to win this tournament? Why is it tricky to win?

ARYNA SABALENKA: Honestly, when I do a pre-season, I never practice in this facility because it's so different to the rest of the tournaments.

I mean, I think whenever we play the tournament, we always want to win it. Of course, I want to win it. I'm doing everything I can to prepare myself as good as possible to be able to compete on the highest level here. I really hope that one day I'll be able to win this tournament.

Q. I'm not going to ask you about Sinner in particular, but in general, given we had two high-profile cases, are you going to get to a point where you need to, in order to trust the system, are you going to ask questions, try to read up more? Is it something that you think about at all? It's happened to two world No. 1s.

ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, you just start to be more careful. Like, for example, before I wouldn't care leave my glass with the water and go to the bathroom, for example, in the restaurant. So now I'm not going to drink from the same glass of water.

You just become, like, a bit too much aware of stuff. This thing get to your head that if someone use the cream on you and you get tested positive, they going to go for you. You just become, like, too scared of the system. I don't see how I can trust the system.

Q. Becoming world No. 1, how do you view it? Is it putting pressure on you? This season, are you looking at the French Open and Wimbledon titles?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I mean, I believe that every player want to add those tournament in your list of the Grand Slams you won.

There is always a pressure. Like when you just become an athlete, you agreed on dealing with the pressure. It's something, like, stays there and you kind of like ignore that because it's just part of the process.

Of course, I want to win those tournaments. I really hope that I'll be build my tennis from now till the French Open and Wimbledon so I have all of the tools to win those tournaments.

Q. When did that flip for you? When did you start not drinking the water from the same glass?

ARYNA SABALENKA: I think when these two cases come up with Iga and Jannik. I don't really believe that they did something, but I just believe that you have to be, like, overprotective of whatever stuff is around you, so...

Me and my team, we're like really careful with leaving glasses of water. Sometimes I ask my team to order food for me just to be sure. I don't know. Don't feel safe anymore.