On Thursday, Aryna Sabalenka shared how she spent her time during the break she took due to an injury during Wimbledon 2024. The Belarusian player discussed how the break had a positive impact on both her and her career.
Sabalenka cruised through the first round of the Cincinnati Open, defeating Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets. Following her victory, she was interviewed by Tennis Channel, where the interviewer playfully inquired about how she spent her injury break during Wimbledon.
The Belarusian star clarified that her off time wasn’t really a vacation. While it may have appeared that she was enjoying herself, she spent most of it focused on rehab exercises. Describing how tough the phase was for her as she really wanted to be a part of Wimbledon, Aryna said,
“I wouldn’t say so honestly like it was really tough being injured and not being able to compete at Wimbledon. I was so so ready to go but unfortunately, it is what it is and yeah, I did a lot of rehab.”
However, she further added that there were a few days when she didn’t think about tennis and tried spending time with herself.
“But yeah, I had a couple of days where I just really enjoyed myself and just tried to separate myself from tennis and just kind of accept, accept that I am injured and I cannot compete.”
When the interviewer further said that the break might be a blessing in disguise as it gave her some time off, she answered,
“Yeah I think it was really much needed to kind of like take a break to spend some time with myself and just to realize a lot of stuff. So I think it was much needed.”
The break might have helped Aryna to regain herself and prepare for the US Open challenge, which starts in 10 days. Last year she had a great season in America but lost at the very end stage- the Final, to home favorite Coco Gauff.
After coming close to a title victory, she secured her debut Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year and reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Unfortunately, an injury prevented her from competing at Wimbledon, leading to a necessary break.
