If only ‘Throw me to the wolves, and I will return leading the pack’ had a better example than the tennis star, Aryna Sabalenka. She’s currently the world’s number one, but the journey to reach the summit wasn’t easy! She had to face a lot of challenges over the years to reach where she is today. Losing her father in 2019 made her realize, “Time flies and you never know what’s gonna happen tomorrow.” Her father, Sergey dreamt of seeing her win Grand Slam singles titles. And Guess what? The 26-year-old now has three major titles beside her name, even though Sergey is not there to witness it. However, there was a time when she felt like quitting the sport, but why?

In 2024, Aryna Sabalenka faced a lot of challenging situations both on and off the court. Shortly after winning the title at the 2024 AO, she came across the news of the death of her ex-partner Konstantin Kolstov. This news was like a bolt from the blue for the Belarusian. However, that didn’t stop her from ending the season with four titles including 2 Grand Slams. Even on the court, injuries forced her to miss two of the biggest events on the tennis calendar (Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics).

Reflecting on these fightbacks, during an interview with Harper’s BAZAAR Australia, Aryna Sabalenka said, “It took me a lot to get where I am right now, and I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices. It has definitely taken a lot of hard work, and it’s a long process. It’s not something that happens just by one click.” However, during the same interview, she revealed that there was a time when she felt quitting the sport.

Highlighting that moment in her career, Sabalenka said, “A time that comes to mind where I had to show my resilience and where I was really close to saying, ‘Okay, I’m done’, was two or three years ago when I was double-faulting non-stop [Sabalenka served 428 double-faults in the 2022 season, 151 more than any other player on the WTA Tour] and everything seemed to be going wrong.“

She further added, “I was thinking to myself, Okay, it’s time for me to give up and to quit … it’s time for me to retire. But then I realized I have so much love for the sport and there are so many things behind the scenes that I just couldn’t give up. I had to stay strong and try one more time, try something else to figure out my problem, and I think that was the turning point for me in my career.” Do you know, Aryna Sabalenka committed 166 double faults in 2020, and that was the most by any player at that time?

Although she felt like quitting, Sabalenka never actually gave up! Her resilience has been the key ingredient to her recent success. “My dream is to inspire people, to be a fighter, and to be an example of not giving up and going through whatever life throws at me,” said Sabalenka. All she now wants is to inspire people to be strong and never give up.

Even after her recent title win at the Brisbane International, Aryna Sabalenka shared some motivational words.

“You have to fight” – Aryna Sabalenka unveils her inner ‘Tigress’ after her title triumph at the Brisbane International

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Russia’s Polina Kudermetova in the final of the 2025 Brisbane International by 4-6,6-3,6-2. Shortly after her victory over the Russian player, Sabalenka said, “Every time you’re out there, you have to compete, you have to fight. You have to show why you are world number one or why you’re in the top 10. It doesn’t matter. You have to show your level and you have to fight for it.”

Aryna Sabalenka replaced Iga Swiatek to become the new world number one in October 2024. But will she be able to dominate the tour in 2025? The Eurosport expert Mats Wilander said, “Aryna Sabalenka will win yet another Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. That makes it three in a row.” Another Eurosport expert Laura Robson backed Aryna Sabalenka to win the 2025 AO! “I am going Sabalenka,” said Robson.

Even Martina Navratilova previously backed Sabalenka to dominate the Grand Slams in 2025. In September 2024 during an interview with SkySports, she also said, “The sky is her limit. She will be the favorite at next year’s Wimbledon, she also knows how to play on the floor. She (Sabalenka) is a threat on every court.“

Does Sabalenka feel the pressure of expectations though? “I try to focus on myself. I’m not thinking about what Iga is doing or how many Grand Slams she has won, but I strive to work hard every day and be better. What I would love most in this world is to finish my career and be able to look back feeling proud of what I have achieved,” the Belarusian said after winning the title in Brisbane.

Two out of her three Grand Slam titles of Aryna Sabalenka have come in Melbourne. Do you think she can win her third AO title later this month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.