Why Aryna Sabalenkas Australian Open Tennis Charge is so ruthless, in force to variety

Melbourne, Australia her ball? It is a rocket, said world no. 10 Daria Kasatkina.

It is everywhere as winners, added Paula Badosa, the world no. 12.

Sometimes you like it, I just walk around the field because I feel she is playing PlayStation.

Kasatkina and Badosa were now talking about the most difficult challenge in Mindernemnis: taking against the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka. Badosa spoke after playing good, but lost 6-4, 6-2 to her good friend in Thursday Australian Open Semifinal, which was Sabalenkas 20th consecutive victory in Melbourne Park.

If she can make it 21 on Saturday, Sabalenka will be the first wife since Martina Hingis in 1999 to get an Australian Open-Drie-Turf. Sabalenka is also the ruling US Open Champion and she has won 33 of her last 34 Grand Slam matches on hard courts.

In addition to an attempt tennis version of Mission Impossible, the American World No. 19, Madison Keys, who, after reaching the final, said that Sabalenka is a reference point for her own game. Both are huge batters, but Sabalenka has elevated herself by developing full conviction in her tennis and adding variation to go with her strength.

Prior to the final, Athletics The dressing room investigated to get an idea of ​​what it is like to be confronted with Sabalenka, and how she has transformed herself from someone who is mentally wobbling in one of the most difficult competitors in the sport.

Aryna Sabalenka is world no. 1, but she is the most formidable version of herself in Melbourne. (Quinn Rooney / Getty images)

Many players tacitly admit to a feeling of helplessness against Sabalenka, because of the completeness of her game. Aggressive, goes for the line, can change direction, Badosa said in a press conference after he had lost a player who described her as a soulmate.

When a ball comes strong, it can easily change direction. Serve quickly, well, everything well. That is how a number 1 plays. Badosa joked that when she spoke to her girlfriend on Thursday, she said: it was really unfair for me that she played this level today.

Iga Swiatek, the largest rival no. 2 and Sabalenkas, agrees: she has variety and she can play flat, she can play top spider, Swiatek said this week in a news conference.

In short, I would say that Aryna is a complete player.

Kasatkina told a small group of reporters: she got the power. She now goes much better at the court than a few years ago. She is now also very good at defense. Shes got more variation than before, and her serve goes 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph). I mean, that's difficult. That's difficult.

Some players cut to the chase. Mirra Andreeva said in a press conference in Melbourne: to be honest, I'm so tired to play against her.

Andreeva has now lost four of her five games against Sabalenka, which at least is a better record than Zheng Qinwens against the same player. Zheng, De Wereld No. 5, has lost all five of its meetings with Sabalenka, including last year's Australian Open -Final.

It is hard to say when is the time that I can beat her, Zheng said in a news conference prior to the tournament.

She is now just a really complete player, World No. 4, Jasmine Paolini, while Donna Vekic, the world no. 19, said: she has everything.

Sabalenkas Power has always been its trademark. Her evolution in recent years, which started seriously when she won her first major on the Australian Open 2023, is just as much mental as physical.

Sabalenka herself often refers to her mental strength, and before the tournament she said that her never-say-that-spirit is one of her biggest weapons.

Badosa, who knows Sabalenka better than almost everyone, agrees: I think when she feels that pressure, when she feels that big challenges, she gets even stronger, Badosa said in an interview.

She converts in a tiger. That likes that. That is what makes her the best.

Despite her aura as a title defender, Sabalenkas competitions have not always been easy this year. She has had dips about her serve and has occasionally been susceptible to longer periods of errors, but she was also able to regroup when she comes down in competitions.

When she felt herself slipping away, and was a bit more emotional or a little distracted, she was able to withdraw herself. Every round she did this better and better, said her performance coach Jason Stacy on Friday in a news conference. He pointed out the way Sabalenka remained calm during her quarter -finals victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, when she was a break twice in the decisive set.

She didn't always have control of her emotions, it was only a thousand miles per hour or zero, Stacy said.

There was not much in between. Whatever that was, it was not in her control.

So it was definitely something we worked on. But that is something that has always been in her.

Sabalenkas Mentality has evolved as she has raised the world ranking and Grand Slam titles has won. (Graham Denholm / Getty images)

Keys, opponent on Saturday, is most impressed by how Sabalenka does not take a backward step, regardless of the scoreboard.

She plays such fearless tennis. I think that many people, whatever happens, even if it was a tight point, you expect them to play a little more conservently or play a little back, and you know she won't do that.

Asked if Sabalenka was a reference point for her, given their similar styles, Keys said: Absolutely. I have always been impressed by how she could do that. The only thing I really wanted to try to get better was no longer playing in big points.

Keys Coach and Husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, believes that the ability of Sabalenkas to increase her level at the greatest moments distinguishes its distinguishing. Against Pavlyuchenkova, Sabalenka broke immediately on both occasions that she was broken.

I watched that Pavlyuchenkova match in the room in the hotel, and there was just no doubt that she would win, he said.

That is a bit of how you feel with Novak (Djokovic) when he plays the most matches, Serena (Williams) when she played the most matches, Roger (Federer), Rafa (Nadal). I think she has that now.

I think the difference with her and Iga Iga is, brings that kind of nadal mentality to every point where I would say crunch moments, she's going to win.

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Sabalenka has not been complacent about her easy power, instead refining her play and adding tools to supplement it. Since a Kastendot against Coco Gauff in Toronto in 2022, Sabalenka has completely re -made her serve, causing the treasure of double errors that used to pepper her competitions. After exercises and training designed to solve mental obstacles when serving, she did not help, she worked biomechanics expert Gavin Macmillan to physically plunder her serve and start again.

It is not always smooth: she was broken in her first four service games against Clara Tauson in the fourth round in Melbourne; Her opponents broke her serve 16 times in her six games. Because of this she has only dropped one set.

Her opponents are still talking about the enormous improvement of the shot. Jessica Pegula, who defeated Sabalenka to win the US Open 2024, said in a press conference: before she had a big serve, but now there is much more control, it is much more consistent.

That variable that you would have a lot of hope does not really seem to go so much anymore.

After losing their match last Friday, Tauson said: I think the biggest difference was that her second ministry was better than mine.

Sabalenka, which stands on 5 feet 11 inch (182 cm), is also a much better mover than before, which helped her to use her opponents strength and absorb instead of always generating it. She changes direction very well and she also responds quickly to the fast ball, Badosa said.

Variation is the other major addition to the Sabalenkas game. At the Italian Open of 2024, she struggled with an injury to Elina Svitolina and could not release on her foundations. She started to make drop shots to shorten points a shot that she had been reluctant to hit out of fear, it was too risky and since then they have become an important element for her game at tight moments.

Sabalenka has added an impressive touch and feeling to her basic power. (Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty images)

Earlier seen as a big hitter whose game was liable to break down, she now has many other options when her serve and forehand do not shoot. Against Pegula at the US Open, she hit three drop -shots, one of them a volley, to squeeze the first set.

I have noticed that she started mixing in many more slices, dropshots that came on the net, the American said.

Before I felt that if I would play her, you would always tend to know that something would break down, whether it was her movement or her hands or her serve, whatever. That doesn't happen that much now.

Expanding the Sabalenka Toolshed has been a major priority for her and her team.

As she gets more confidence that she can do it, we can mix it more, said coach Anton Dubrov in a news conference on Friday. If something does not work well, she always knows that she has a plan B, a backup plan, so that she can always come back to what she feels better.

She understands that if she will not play her best game, she still has opportunities because she will be solid on the field without trying to play Russian roulette as it is all or nothing.

She can adjust and move to something else and always put the same pressure on the opponent. The opponents, they know when they are going to face Aryed that she can always change. So they understand that they are always at the same level.

That is a frightening proposition for an opponent, with Kaia Kanepi the last person who defeated Sabalenka in Melbourne Park in 2022.

Keys will have to produce an almost impeccable version if she will win her first Grand Slam title on Saturday.

(Top photo: Quinn Rooney / Getty images)