FORT WORTH—Aryna Sabalenka long pointed to her tiger tattoo as a testament to her fighting spirit, but only discovered the depths of her inner strength after an arduous 2022 season.
“For this year, definitely, I became more of a fighter than I used to be,” Sabalenka said during WTA Finals Media Day.
“Before it was just, like, nice tattoo. I was, just like, ‘Yeah, I fight because everything is working for me.’ You know, it’s different kind of fight.”
Plenty had gone right for the former world No. 2 in 2021, highlighted by back-to-back Grand Slam semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. With many expecting Sabalenka to challenge top-ranked Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open, the 24-year-old found herself without a serve—yipping badly despite reaching the fourth round and continuing to underperform through the Sunshine Swing of Indian Wells and Miami.
“This year I was fighting with myself, which is completely different fight, and I learned a lot about myself,” Sabalenka continued. “I think this season start as the worst season, but at the end I think it was the best season for me because I learned a lot, and I became even stronger, and like mentally stronger.”
Despite some especially unaesthetic matches, Sabalenka never fell out of the Top 10, something she wryly attributes to those around her.