On Sunday, the Belarusian had her side of the field shortened by 9 percent at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Furthermore, each player had only one serve.
Although Sabalenka did not go down without a fight, she still suffered a 3-6 3-6 defeat to 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios.
“I think I would definitely do it again. I like revenge and I don’t like to leave it as it is,” the top-ranked WTA player said after arriving in Australia for the Brisbane International.
Sabalenka: I didn’t know I would have to adapt
Reducing Sabalenka’s court by 9 percent was to the Belarusian’s advantage. But after the match started, the four-time Grand Slam champion realized that not everything was perfect.
“I think we will come up with a different format for the next match. Before the match I didn’t realize that I would have to adapt, and it was a bit difficult for me. I think I would keep the full court, but I would take two serves. That would level our level much more,” the Belarusian explained.
Sabalenka was widely criticized before and after her match against Kyrgios, with some accusing her of ‘damaging women’s tennis’. However, the 27-year-old would do it again.
“I always say when you lose, you learn, and I learned a lot about his game. I would do it again. I need revenge,” the four-time Grand Slam champion added.
After losing to Kyrgios, Sabalenka stated that she “knew the tactics for next time”.
On the other hand, Kyrgios admitted that he felt a lot of pressure during the match, but did not rule out the prospect of meeting Sabalenka again in the future.
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