Aryna Sabalenka determined to stay world No 1 as she steps up pre-season in UAE

Belarusian playing in World Tennis League with one eye on defending her Australian Open crown in January

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is ramping up her preparations for the 2025 season by competing in the World Tennis League, which kicked off at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this week.

The Belarusian, who was successful in both singles and doubles on the opening day of the exhibition event on Thursday, has once again chosen the UAE for her pre-season training block, and has been staying and practising at Atlantis the Royal hotel on Palm Jumeirah these last few weeks.

Sabalenka also made an appearance at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix earlier this month, where she was a guest of the Alpine team.

“I love it, it’s so cool to watch,” she told The National after defeating familiar rival Elena Rybakina in a tiebreak set on Thursday.

“I think those guys in those cars are incredibly tough people and it’s really inspiring to see them doing their thing.”

Sabalenka returned to the summit of the rankings last month, leapfrogging Iga Swiatek to secure the year-end No 1 spot.

She will start 2025 leading Swiatek by 1,121 points in the rankings but will have to work hard in order to stave off the Polish star, especially given she has 2,000 points to defend at the Australian Open next month.

“You cannot be confident on that. It’s a mental thing,” Sabalenka said of her chances of keeping the No 1 ranking.

“Of course I’d like to stay there as long as possible and I’m working really hard for that, so let’s see how next season is going to be.”

A champion in Melbourne in 2023 and 2024, Sabalenka is looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win a third consecutive Australian Open crown.

“It would mean a lot,” she said of her potential threepeat Down Under.

“I think the key is just to focus on yourself and on bringing your best each time you play, whether it’s Australia or any other country, you just have to bring your best every time and hope for the best.”

The 26-year-old assures there is still a lot more she wants to achieve in the sport and has been focused with her team on adding more weapons to her arsenal “so that whenever I have a tough situation on court, I have whatever I need to close the match”.

The three-time grand slam champion says she’s rarely short on motivation, but whenever she feels like she needs an extra push, she has her own way of sparking that inner drive.

“Sometimes when I feel like I need that drive, which is not very often, I just remember where I started and how much I wanted to be where I am right now and that drives me crazy and that’s what helps me to stay motivated and stay hungry all the time,” she explained.

Sabalenka is part of a star-studded field at the World Tennis League, which also features Swiatek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and a returning Nick Kyrgios, who is set to make his first appearance on tour since June 2023 in Brisbane later this month.

Swiatek completed a one-month doping suspension due to contamination of melatonin she was taking as a sleep aid on December 4, and took to the court in Abu Dhabi on Thursday in both singles (against Jasmine Paolini) and doubles (alongside Paula Badosa).

Asked about her reaction to Swiatek’s positive doping test, Sabalenka said: “People are really used to overreacting before figuring stuff out, so I don’t want to leave any comments. I believe in clean sport and nothing else I can add.”

The World Tennis League, which features a combination of tennis matches and musical concerts, will continue its third season throughout the weekend in Abu Dhabi and will conclude on Sunday, December 22.