Aryna Sabalenka and the double benefit of knowing that winning the Australian Open depends on her great tennis and her emotional stability

The days and hours before a final grand slam Many times they end up being a sort of preview of what could happen. Not in terms of pure competition, but in the information provided by a player’s individual performance. And I say this because Aryna Sabalenka You will surely bounce between the enormous happiness of being able to access such an important event again, the satisfaction of having taken revenge Coco Gauff for the lost final of US Open last year, and the honor of trying to win the title again consecutively in Australian Open.

The hours preceding Saturday’s morning duel against China Zheng Qinwenthe great revelation of the tournament, will mark the arrival at the match of this imposing Belarusian who has achieved enormous emotional stability that transfers to the wrist, to the racket and transforms the ball into an obedient object.

Sabalenka’s improvement is incredible and commendablewho without going too far back, in Adelaide 2022, had one of those forgettable matches, with 21 double faults and 61 unforced errors. He was the second seed and suffered an almost humiliating defeat Rebecca Peterson, for the difficulties he had, above all, in his service. Until She had to stop playing because she was emotionally destroyed.

The Belarusian had had several episodes like this, not that serious or difficult to deal with, but then everything started to change. In 2023 he managed to win his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne and then reach the final in New York, played against Gauff and left etched in his retina. Thursday, after the semifinal victory against the American, he said “I hope to do better than my last final”as if she already forgot that she is the reigning champion of this fantastic tournament.

Belarusian has also achieved tremendous consistency. From the US Open 2020, for example, does not lose in straight sets in Grand Slam tournaments. And when we talk about regularity we talk about emotional stability, about knowing how to better manage one’s sensations on the pitch and knowing how to deal with certain adversities and deal with moments in which the pulse has doubts or isn’t going well or the thoughts are not clear. They stop flowing and they are the correct ones.

It is impossible that Sabalenka, a jovial player, very happy and very, very transparent in her emotionsdon’t think that the possibility of winning a new Slam title depends purely and exclusively on her, without underestimating her opponent, Zheng, who has already had quarter-final episodes – she in fact lost against her in the last United States Open – and he is a rival to be respected and taken care of.

But nothing better that depends on you and nothing worse that depends on you. What better situation than to have everything purely and exclusively in your hands, but at the same time, what a challenge to take on that responsibility. This is why I said that many times the tranquility or clarity with which those previous hours are experienced will determine how a player’s performance will be.

Sabalenka arrives in sensational fashion, unlike her opponent, who in the six matches hasn’t had to face any player among the 50 best, which is no small feat. Because the pace and times will certainly be different. But the Belarusian will also have to have a decisive step, have a very sharp pulse, very clear ideas and above all be convinced.

The rival who surpassed her in that fateful Adelaide 2022 later said that Sabalenka would have emerged stronger from that situation. Wow, I was right. Aryna depends purely and exclusively on her. We’ll see what Australia has in store for him. The winds and memories work in her favor.