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Humbling at the Hands of Coco Gauff Explained as a Blessing in Disguise for Aryna Sabalenka by Former German Pro

Published 03/01/2024, 12:07 PM EST

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Aryna Sabalenka’s defeat against the nineteen-year-old Coco Gauff at the US Open last year broke the hearts of fans worldwide. However, Andrea Petkovic doesn’t see it as something to be depressed about. In a tennis podcast, Petkovic revealed her insights on how the defeat of Sabalenka against Gauff was actually a blessing in disguise.

Sabalenka’s tremendous skills on the court often rely only on her physical strength to overcome opponents. However, the heartbreaking loss against Grand Slam winner Coco Guaff disappointed her at an extreme level. Andrea Petkovic’s positive outlook on the matter sheds some light on how to take this defeat with a smile.

Andrea Petkovic on the loss of Sabalenka against Gauff at the US Open

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Referring to an interview that Andrea Petkovic took with Sabalenka after the major loss at the US Open, she stated how she thinks that the loss was actually important for Sabalenka. “And I asked her you know, you look much more like an all court player what happened in the off season? Like what was your thought process? And she said, You know what, when I lost to Coco, I realized I need a B plan. I was hitting the ball. Well, I was playing well. But Coco was getting everything back,” Petkovic revealed the thoughts that she understood from her interview with Sabalenka after the game.

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Andrea Petkovic further revealed the moment when Sabalenka could not hold the play against Gauff anymore. “And I just at one point didn’t know how to win a point anymore, or how to make a winner. So I was working on my net game. I was working on more variety,” Sabalenka said to the former German professional tennis player Petkovic.

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Petkovic chooses Sabalenka over Swiatek

It is not the first time that Andrea Petkovic has come forward to talk in favor of Belarusian beauty. While talking about her eye-catching performance during the Grand Slam last season, Andrea Petkovic revealed how she feels that Sabalenka rightly deserved the best player over Iga Swiatek based on the entire season.

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On The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast last year, she said, “The reason why Aryna Sabalenka is the player of the year that she has a small edge over Iga Swiatek, she could’ve won all four slams [in 2023].”

Winning and losing are just stops along the path to self-discovery in the arena of professional tennis. Hence, Andrea Petkovic’s comment on Sabalenka’s unique journey has indeed put a new perspective in front of the world.

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Written by:

Ankita Banerjee

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Ankita Banerjee is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. She seamlessly blends her keen interest in writing with an ability to analytically comprehend things. During her college days, she contributed numerous articles to the college magazine, showcasing her early passion.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot