When Sabalenka opted out of Wimbledon and the Summer Olympics, it didn’t seem like her season would end on the same note as it began.
“I think at the end it was very important for me to take a little break,” Sabalenka said in Washington, D.C., just before she took off again. “I had really tough, tough struggles starting from March.
“I’m just talking for myself. I feel it was really much needed, and I’ll be ready.”
She certainly was. Between mid-August and mid-October—three WTA 1000 tournaments and a Grand Slam—the Belarusian win 20 of 21 matches. Her first US Open triumph felt long overdue, but she delivered as the betting favorite. Embracing her elite status in tennis, and becoming something of a crossover celebrity, Sabalenka is one of the faces of our sport. That’s a very good thing.—Ed McGrogan
