Rested Sabalenka has high hopes leading into US Open

World number one Aryna Sabalenka is feeling hopeful heading into the U.S. Open, despite recent disappointing Grand Slam performances. The 28-year-old Belarusian failed to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the French Open, and lost in the Australian Open final earlier this year.

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I have huge hopes.

Sabalenka told reporters in Toronto that she is returning to her basics and hopes her hard court game will be successful. She explained that players who advance far in grass court tournaments can become fatigued, but she did not perform well enough on grass to experience that this year. She is in good spirits after a much-needed rest, having suffered physically and mentally during the summer swing but is eager to compete again.

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And now we’re kind of back to the basics, and I really hope it’s going to work out well on the hard court again.

Looking ahead to the U.S. Open, Sabalenka is excited to play mixed doubles with Novak Djokovic. "Playing with Novak is always fun," she said. "We’re chasing (the) title, that’s our goal, I believe, so it’s going to fun and intense." She also voiced her support for the WTA's updated eligibility policy, which requires a one-time gene test for players on the women's tour. Sabalenka believes the policy is important for maintaining fairness on the tour, stating, "It’s obviously, biologically, the men are way stronger than women, so I feel like it would be not really fair for the woman to compete against (a) biological man."

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But this year I didn’t do well, so I’m here.