Aryna Sabalenka says she has been trying to find “things which bring joy” as she aims to end a challenging year with her first US Open title.
The world number two emphatically defended her Australian Open title in January to start the year strongly.
However, in March the Belarusian’s former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, died in what Sabalenka called “an unthinkable tragedy”.
The 26-year-old opted to continue playing – and says, with hindsight, that she should have taken a break.
Sabalenka struggled with a stomach problem in her French Open quarter-final defeat and had to withdraw from Wimbledon a few weeks later with a shoulder injury.
After missing a month to recover, she returned to the WTA Tour in early August and won the Cincinnati Open title last week.
“I think definitely after this year, mentally I will become even stronger,” she said on Friday.
“Looking back, I definitely think that I should have just stopped and separated myself from tennis, just have this little break and recharge and start things over again.
“I think I kind of overplayed, and I carried a lot.”
Sabalenka reached the final at Flushing Meadows last year, losing to Coco Gauff in three sets.
She started the year in impressive form, defending her Australian Open title without dropping a set and taking just 76 minutes to beat Zheng Qinwen in the final.
She has often been seen joking with her coaching team and began a pre-match tradition of writing her signature on her fitness trainer Jason Stacy’s head in Melbourne.
Sabalenka said her personality comes from her father, Sergey, a former ice hockey player who died in 2019 and who she counts as her biggest motivation.
“I wish he would be still alive. I think we would have so much fun together right now,” she said.
“Before, I was probably too much into tennis and trying to be too focused, putting myself under so much pressure.
“Lately, I just realised that this is not how things work. You have to balance this hard work, these expectations, pressure, and everything, with [a] little joy.
“You have to find things which bring you joy, and I have my crazy team and we have so much fun together.”
The US Open begins on Monday, with heavy title favourite Sabalenka opening her campaign against qualifier Priscilla Hon.
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