Fresh from her US Open victory, Aryna Sabalenka has her goals sorted for the rest of the 2024 season. The Belarusian started the year by defending her Australian Open title and most recently won her maiden US Open title. Now, Sabalenka is chasing the World No. 1 ranking as she wants to be called the best player in the world.
Sabalenka arrived in China for the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing and will start as the top seed in the absence of Iga Swiatek, who pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. The 26-year-old witnessed a major boost in her ranking points after winning the title in New York. With only a few tournaments left, the World No. 2 is hoping to accumulate as many more as possible.
At the pre-tournament press conference, Sabalenka said that reaching the top of the WTA rankings is one of her main goals for the rest of the season.
Ending the year as the world number one is one of my goals, but I try not to focus on that but on my tennis. There are only three tournaments left, and I want to bring out my best game on the court. After the season, I'll see if that's enough to finish the year as the world number one or what I need to improve to achieve it. Being called the best player in the world means a lot.Aryna Sabalenka said (H/T: Puntodebreak)
Sabalenka currently has 8716 ranking points while Swiatek has 10885 points to her name. However, with 1000 ranking points on offer for the winner in Beijing and Wuhan, and 500 ranking points on offer at the Tokyo Open, Sabalenka has a chance to topple the Pole.
Aryna Sabalenka wants nothing less than a finals qualification at remaining three tournaments
With the goal of becoming the World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka wants wants to reach the final at the remaining three tournaments of the season. The Belarusian also has her eyes on the WTA Finals in Riyadh and does not want to bow out early from the tournaments as it might have a negative effect in that event.
There are major tournaments on the Asian tour. It is also important to perform well leading up to the WTA Finals, to win some matches before that event. There is a gap of three weeks, so if you don't make it to the final stages, there is a lot of time in between, which is negative for the last tournament of the season, where all matches are of high intensity.Aryna Sabalenka expressed
The 26-year-old made it to the semifinal at the year-ending championships last year, where she lost to Iga Swiatek in straight sets. Sabalenka, a two-time China Open quarterfinalist, will face either a qualifier or a lucky loser in her opening match at the National Tennis Center on Friday.
