“Going into this match, I had the mentality that no matter what happens, if she’s gonna break me, I had the mentality to stay there, to focus on myself, to fight for every point no matter what,” Sabalenka said.
“I didn’t want to lose another final, to be honest. It’s really tough to lose in the final. So if someone would say that, I’d be, like, OK, it’s going to be a battle, I’m ready for that.”
After three months, Sabalenka has re-staked her claim to No. 1. Perhaps more intriguingly, she’ll come into the clay season as the tour’s best player for the first time. Since 2022, this has been Iga Swiatek’s time to dominate. Which sets up an interesting conflict for the next two months: While Swiatek is the best clay-courter until proven otherwise, Sabalenka is the best player overall.
Sabalenka says she’s ready to make the surface switch, and that coming into it with her first Miami title will make the transition much more fun.
