“I love Rome.” For Aryna Sabalenka, the Italian Open holds a special place in her heart—more than meets the eye. Even though the second-ranked player has advanced to the fourth round, she still has a desire that she wants to achieve in Rome. The two-time Grand Slam champion recently spoke about her unsuccessful attempts to live out her dream of Rome. Sabalenka declared the Italian Open as her “dream” event and showed her love for it. Not only that, she also talked about how she is going sugar-free just for the tournament, giving her 100%, even leaving her food cravings out.

Following her impressive win over Dayana Yastremska, Aryna Sabalenka beamed with satisfaction. She attributed her success to both her sharpened skills and a newfound ability to adjust to varying playing conditions. Sabalenka also couldn’t hold back her enthusiasm for the Rome tournament. She confessed it’s a lifelong dream to win there, and she revels in the vibrant atmosphere the city offers. “I love Rome. I love the city. I feel, I don’t know, so comfortable being here. I enjoy walking around. I enjoy good food, great restaurants. I enjoy the atmosphere on the stadium,” Saba said in a press conference.

Further, she also shared her emotions about not being able to achieve victory in Rome. She added, “Every time I was losing here, I was so sad. I felt like I lost on the Grand Slam because it was one of the dream tournaments for me to win. It’s still one of my dream tournament. Yeah, lots of good things about Rome. Always enjoy my time here and always want to stay here as long as I can.”

The Australian Open champion has made five appearances at the Foro Italico, but she has only advanced to the semifinals once, in contrast to her accomplishments at other clay-court competitions. Having defeated Iga Swiatek to win the title in Madrid, she suffered a dismal first-round loss to Sofia Kenin at the Italian Open the previous year.

Apart from talking about her goals in Rome, Sabalenka also talked about her eating habits when competing. Despite this restriction, she expressed contentment with her current food choices and the culinary experiences she is enjoying in Rome.

Sabalenka reveals her ‘dream snack’ in Rome 

During an interview with Tennis Channel, the No. 2 seed admitted to refraining from sugar while competing for the championship, which excludes indulging in the city’s famous gelato. Even so, she sarcastically expressed her desire for a large dish of gelato to serve as her ideal snack.

She stated, “Why do you make me want it? I’m not allowed to eat sugar during the tournament.” Further, she also added that, “Stracciatella, pistachio, vanilla. I would go for all them, like a big bowl of gelatos. Dream snack.”

The two-time Australian Open champion has found comfort in indulging in Rome’s delectable cuisine, especially her preferred pasta recipes. She proclaimed, “I don’t know, every pasta is my favorite here!” to emphasize how much she loved every type of pasta offered in the city.