Sabalenka started this year attempting to become the first woman since 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, but lost to the brilliant Madison Keys. She then let her emotions run wild on and off the court during her Roland Garros loss to Gauff.
“You lose the final of the biggest tournament and you’re not thinking clearly,” she said.
“I had to sit back and think about everything, and make sure people understood my point: that I was completely wrong.
“It was a difficult class, but it helped me in so many ways.”
Sabalenka battled her emotions at Wimbledon, most impressively against home favorite Emma Raducanu in the third round. “Maybe earlier in my career I would just go crazy and lose that set,” she said afterwards.
“I was like, ‘don’t waste your energy, keep whatever you have left inside’.”
After a semi-final defeat in which Sabalenka felt she was not as “brave” as opponent Amanda Anisimova, she opted for a holiday. There, Sabalenka reflected on why she let her emotions “take control of me in those two finals.”
She made a decision: during her title defense at the US Open, she, and not her emotions, would decide her fate.
Sabalenka battled her way through the draw to face Anisimova in the final, with the American looking to overcome a brutal final loss at Wimbledon. Considering the pressure Sabalenka was already feeling to ensure she didn’t end the year without a Slam, it was a huge test of her mental strength.
It was perhaps Sabalenka’s most mature performance of the season. Even a missed overhead while serving for the title was greeted with a wry smile. Sabalenka was broken in that match, but produced a dominant tiebreak to prevail.
“I knew that [because of] “The hard work we put in made me deserve to win a Grand Slam title this season,” Sabalenka added.
“Reaching this trophy means I have learned a lesson. I have become a better player, I have better control over my emotions and I am super happy.”
There is still work to be done as missing out on the WTA Finals title shows. But Sabalenka was able to quickly shake off the loss – a positive sign for her after a difficult year.
“After a while I actually feel great. The bad thing about this season [is] “I have lost most of the biggest finals I have made,” she added.
“So I guess I’ll just sit back in the Maldives with my tequila and think it’s been pretty good so far.
“I just have to get a little bit better with myself and hopefully I’ll improve next season.”
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