Earlier than this 12 months’s US Open, Sabalenka mentioned she was looking for “issues which deliver pleasure” after a tricky 12 months.
In March, her former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, died in what Sabalenka referred to as “an unthinkable tragedy”.
She later mentioned, with hindsight, she ought to have taken a break from enjoying. She went on to wrestle with a abdomen downside in her French Open quarter-final defeat in June, earlier than withdrawing from Wimbledon a number of weeks later with a shoulder harm.
The injury-enforced break allowed her to refresh and, in New York, she has proven a enjoyable and relaxed method together with her group off the court docket.
When she efficiently defended her Australian Open title in January, she made it a practice to write down her signature on her health coach Jason Stacy’s head.
As an alternative of her signature, Stacy pasted Sabalenka’s iconic tiger tattoo on the highest of his head for the ultimate towards Pegula.
The second seed was seen poking enjoyable at Stacy’s head in her celebrations, whereas she joked throughout her post-match information convention that he ought to have positioned the picture in the midst of his brow.
“She resides her finest life,” former British primary Laura Robson informed Sky Sports activities.
“You simply have to have a look at the atmosphere she has round her. She has her physio tattooing a lion on his head and also you see all of them laughing and joking.
“It interprets into her sport on the court docket as a result of all the pieces goes to plan off the court docket.”
Behind her cheerful method, nonetheless, is an even bigger motivation for Sabalenka to maintain pursuing Grand Slam success.
She has spoken concerning the affect of shedding her father, Sergey, who died in 2019, and says it’s her purpose to “put our household identify within the historical past of tennis”.
“Each time I see my identify on that trophy, I am so pleased with myself, I am pleased with my household that they by no means gave up on my dream,” she mentioned.
“They had been doing all the pieces they may to maintain me going.”
