Pep talks with Novak Djokovic, as Aryna Sabalenka vows to improve ‘in everything’

HONG KONG – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has said she needs to improve her tennis “in literally everything”, sharing how Novak Djokovic is helping her do it on and off the court.

In an AFP interview, the four-time Grand Slam champion also talked about ignoring hate on social media, nearly quitting and her hopes and fears for life after tennis.

The Belarusian, 27, is now the undisputed women’s No. 1 but it was hard work and suffering which got her there, and some of it played out very publicly.

Sabalenka, then No. 2 in the world, was reduced to tears as her serve spectacularly deserted her at a tournament in the lead-up to the 2022 Australian Open.

“I couldn’t put one serve in. I was double-faulting 40 times. And I was like, maybe that’s a sign that I have to quit,” she said in Hong Kong. “We’ve done everything to fix my serve and nothing would work.

“But, you know, I really believe... that when you’re getting close to that moment where you’re about to give up, I really believe that this is the moment when you can turn around things.

“You just have to push. You just have to keep trying. And this is the moment when it’s a turning moment.”

Back in Australia in 2023, she won her first Grand Slam and retained her Melbourne title in 2024.

Sabalenka is renowned for her hard-hitting, powerful serve, aggressive play and mental steel, but warned her rivals that she sees “so many things” that she can do better.

“There’s always something you cannot stop,” added the Belarusian, visiting Hong Kong for the Prudential NextGen Aces event with American star Andre Agassi.

“Like Andre said, the moment you stop, you’re going down. And I only want to go up.”

Talking specifics, she said: “I would love to approach the net much more. And I need to spend time working on that and understanding the game on the net in singles.

“So, so many things I can get better at – shots, strokes, like literally everything.”

With success comes scrutiny, especially on social media, where Sabalenka frequently posts about life inside and outside tennis.

She identified social media as one of the prime challenges to youngsters coming through the sport, warning that even for a seasoned campaigner like herself, it is not easy to ignore criticism and hate – “sometimes it can destroy you”.

Sabalenka’s friendship with 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic recently came to the fore, after she practised with him and they spent time together socially along with their partners.

“He’s a great guy and he’s very open. You can ask anything and he can give you advice,” she said of the 38-year-old Serb.

“And he’s such an open guy and I love practising with him because for me, it’s such high-intensity training. It just helps me physically and even mentally to get better.

“And then when I play against girls, I’m not getting tired physically because I practise with Novak.”

She revealed that after losing two Grand Slam finals in 2025, she sought his counsel.

“At Wimbledon I spoke to Novak. I just wanted to know how he was preparing himself for those big matches – what was the focus and what was his mindset going into the match,” she said.

“So we talked for an hour probably... And then later on, going to the US Open final, I remembered what he said, what he told me, and I think it helped me to get the title.”

Sabalenka still has years left at the top, but already has ideas of what comes after tennis. She is thinking about something related to fashion or health, but admits it is a touch daunting.

“For now, I’m too busy on getting better as a player, but we’re definitely going to try to come up with something cool,” she said.

“But that scares me as well because I feel like as an athlete, we’re so focused on our sport and we’re just living in a bubble.

“And then when we finish our career and we go outside of the bubble, it feels like for me I know nothing and I have a lot of things to learn.” AFP