Two months after an emotional semi-final at Roland-Garros, Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova meet again on a tennis court. It will once again be a semi-final, but this time for the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. And for Sabalenka, there is a desire for revenge.
Because the world n°2 had had match point at Roland-Garros, but had finished the match in total panic, guilty of 53 unforced errors and unable to hold the ball. Sabalenka’s skin-deep emotionality had been highlighted as it was not uncommon in the past to see the Belarusian devoured by her emotions during a high-stakes match. But since her crowning at the Australian Open, we thought she had solved the problem. In fact, there was another reason for his Parisian panic, the inability to find the right racket to finish the match against Muchova.
“I am the only one to blame for having been so unprofessional in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros”
“On that one, I was unprofessional, super-stupid, whatever you want, but it was all my fault, she explains. I was sure I had another racquet in my bag. And when I changed balls, I wanted to change racquets to have more tension in my string. »
“I was so shocked not to see the racquet in my bag that I think it affected my game until the end of the game. I then waved to my team as I knew they had racquets but they gave me the wrong one. And she wasn’t going at all, I was in a constant struggle to control the ball. And I think that’s what took me out of the game. But I am the only one to blame for having been so unprofessional in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros. » But she assures in the process that “It won’t happen again. Now I got plenty of rackets, lots of rackets in my bag (laughs). »
Balls adapted to his game
Apart from his equipment, Sabalenka also counts on the change of surface to help him against his opponent of the day. “It can make the difference because on hard I feel more confident against her. » Even if the courts of the Lindner Family Tennis Center are rather slow for hard and offer a fairly high bounce that Muchova appreciates. “Yes, I think this surface suits his style”approves Sabalenka.
But she can also count on the balls used, the same as for the men and therefore heavier than the usual balls of the WTA circuit. Balls that many players find difficult to maneuver and live. Not Sabalenka. “Honestly, I appreciate them. They go well with my game and make my shots even heavier. Either way, I’m not going to complain about it. »
“I’m really looking forward to playing this match against Muchova and giving my best”
The only thing she could complain about is programming that isn’t really to her liking. “For the quarter-finals, they had Alcaraz play at 3 p.m. (in Cincinnati). I understand that everyone wants to see Alcaraz play. But suddenly, I play the next match which is a ”Not before 7 p.m.”. So, I finish the match around 9 p.m. And I thought I would play again the next day at 3 p.m. at the earliest, but no, I’m scheduled for 1:30 p.m. That’s the only thing that bothers me. For the rest, I’m really looking forward to playing this match against Muchova and giving my best. Yes, I hope I will win this time. »
