Aryna Sabalenka knows that staying World No. 1 means never standing still. And she is always looking for ways to improve, even if that means learning from one of the greatest to ever play the sport. The World No. 1 recently revealed that conversations with Novak Djokovic about the technical side of tennis inspired her to incorporate parts of the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s approach into her own game.

It’s no surprise that Sabalenka turned to Djokovic for technical advice. The Serbian great is considered one of the finest returners in tennis history, while Sabalenka has forged her success through an attack-first style. Instead of neutralizing the point with her return, the Belarusian typically looks to dictate play from the very first shot.

“So, that was the advice! Ever since then, he’s been like, ‘You’re copying me.’ Well, it’s sort of like copying the best,” said Sabalenka in an interview with First&Red.

Taking the Serb’s advice, the Belarusian has used the slight forward movement while returning, which makes her opponent second-guess their serve placements.

“His technique helped me. “I changed things up a bit. I feel like, well, it’s somewhat similar. Not exactly the same, actually, but the technique is a little like his,” the Belarusian explained.

Nonetheless, one aspect that the Belarusian can still try to learn from Djokovic’s style is how to absorb a great serve and then transition from defense to attack to win the point within the rally. That part of her game proved to be Sabalenka’s weakness in her Wimbledon loss against Naomi Osaka, where the Japanese served off the charts, and the World No.1 could not find an answer to it with her all-out attack style.

However, with the hard-court swing underway, the World No.1 is looking forward to impove her form. She is making some changes in her playing style by taking help from Djokovic’s technical aspects.

In fact, ahead of their Wimbledon campaigns last year, Sabalenka and Djokovic shared a practice session at the All England Club. For the Belarusian, it was a rare opportunity to pick the brain of one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen.

Reflecting on the session later that day, the World No. 1 couldn’t hide her appreciation. “Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit with him, which not every guy would be able to do. Then you can chat with him. He will give his honest advice. It’s amazing to hear the opinion of such a legend.”

She also revealed that their conversation centered around areas of her game she was trying to improve. “We were just chatting about stuff that I’m kind of struggling with a little bit. I’m really thankful for the advice he gave me,” added Sabalenka.

The exchange didn’t end there. Moments later, Djokovic playfully interrupted Sabalenka’s press conference, taking a seat beside her before delivering an assessment of her game.

“I think you have the potential,” Djokovic joked to Sabalenka. “You’re a really talented player. You have nice strokes, good technique. Can I be honest? You’re lacking intensity on the court. You don’t have enough intensity. It’s too flat. You’ve got to lighten up a little bit, put some power in it.”

The mutual respect between Sabalenka and Djokovic has been evident for years. And when it comes to improving her game, the Belarusian has never shied away from learning from the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

And this year, even though she has had an excellent season so far, Sabalenka looks forward to defend her US Open title with all the technical aspects she learned from Djokovic.

Aryna Sabalenka hopes to revive her Grand Slam fortunes at the US Open

Having taken the No.1 ranking from Iga Swiatek at the end of the 2024 season, it has been over 90 weeks since Sabalenka has been the dominant force on the WTA. However, her Grand Slam record has been a concern over this period, with the World No.1 winning only one of the last seven Majors.

However, the Belarusian has reached three Slam finals. But she lost to Coco Gauff in Paris last year, where she could not handle the windy conditions in a three-set tussle against the American. She has been the dominant player at the Australian Open over the last four years, but for two years running, she has lost the finals to the likes of Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina.

However, the last two Slam losses at the hands of Diana Shnaider at the French Open and against Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon saw the World No.1 get flustered on court. While the wind was playing tricks on the Belarusian’s mind once again in Paris, she could not get an answer past the Osaka serve at SW19. With her relatively early Slam exits, Rybakina is only 407 points adrift from Sabalenka in the battle for the No.1 ranking spot.

But with the hard-court swing underway, the Belarusian is hoping to pick up some much-needed form before the final Slam of the year in Flushing Meadows.