Sabalenka's US Open triumph shows lessons have been learned

"Aryna Sabalenka thought she had everything figured out. She believed she had done all the work necessary, harnessing successfully her once uncontrollable power into consistent excellence. After overcoming so many hurdles en route to becoming the best player in the world, she felt ready for anything. Sabalenka was convinced she could handle any challenge that came her way. It was not until her excruciating French Open final defeat against Coco Gauff that Sabalenka understood this was not true."

"As she struggled with her nerves under such significant pressure and punishing windy conditions, the 27-year-old was outplayed by a tireless, gutsier opponent in Gauff who broke her down by forcing her to work hard for every single point. In the days after that defeat, as the discourse continued over her subsequent unsporting remarks during her press conference, Sabalenka travelled to Mykonos, Greece with her boyfriend, Georgios."

"I was in Mykonos, reading my book, enjoying the view, she said, laughing. And I was just thinking: Why would I let my emotions take control over me in those two finals? It felt like: OK, if I made it to the final, it means that I'm going to win it. And I sort of didn't expect players to come out there and to fight. I thought that everything was going to go my way easily, which was completely the wrong mindset."

Aryna Sabalenka had transformed raw power into consistent top-level performance and believed she was prepared for any match. Two major final losses exposed vulnerabilities in nerves, mindset and expectation management, particularly under pressure and adverse conditions. She took a break in Mykonos to disconnect, reflect and reassess her approach. Sabalenka acknowledged expecting finals to unfold easily and underestimating opponents' willingness to fight. The losses prompted alarm, humility and a commitment to further work on emotional control, adaptability and the mental side of preparation despite her technical and physical progress.

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