NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka stood on the podium at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the US Open trophy gleaming beside her, but her post-match reflections were not solely a celebration. The newly crowned champion, who successfully defended her title with a hard-fought victory over Coco Gauff, offered a surprising and candid critique of her own mentality in the biggest matches of her career, revealing a profound shift in perspective that propelled her to this latest triumph.
Sabalenka’s 6-4, 7-6(7) win over the American favorite was a masterclass in power and resilience, but it was her post-match press conference that truly captured attention. The World No. 2 openly admitted that her approach in her two previous major finals—losses to Iga Świątek at Roland Garros and to Markéta Vondroušová at Wimbledon—was fundamentally flawed. She declared that she had finally corrected a critical error in her mindset, transforming from a player desperate to win into a champion focused on fighting.
The Weight of Expectation: A Flawed Mindset Exposed
Sabalenka’s journey to a third Grand Slam title was paved with the lessons of two painful defeats. After capturing her first major at the Australian Open in 2023, she entered subsequent finals with the burden of expectation. She confessed that in Paris and London, her primary thought was not on the process of winning points, but on the overwhelming desire to simply hold the trophy again. This, she realized, was her ultimate undoing. "I think I was too focused on winning, not on fighting," Sabalenka stated, her introspection striking a chord with journalists and fans alike.
This narrow focus on the result, rather than the battle required to achieve it, created a tense and anxious version of Sabalenka. The free-swinging, aggressive game that defines her tennis became constrained by pressure. Unforced errors flowed at crucial moments, and her trademark roar of “Come on!” was replaced by visible frustration. The losses were not just defeats; they were diagnostic tools that revealed a critical weakness in her championship mentality.
A New York State of Mind: The Shift to a Fighter's Mentality
Arriving in New York, Sabalenka made a conscious decision to rewrite her internal script. The goal was no longer to "win a Slam." The goal was to fight for every single point, regardless of the score, the opponent, or the occasion. This philosophical shift liberated her game. Throughout the fortnight, she was tested, particularly in a grueling three-set semifinal against rising star Mirra Andreeva. In that match, she was pushed to the brink but never broke, her renewed focus on the fight itself carrying her through.
This new mindset was never more evident than in the final against Gauff. Facing a hostile crowd fervently supporting the home favorite and a opponent riding a wave of momentum, Sabalenka’s resolve was put to the ultimate test. When Gauff mounted a fierce comeback in the second set, saving multiple championship points, the old demons of expectation could have easily resurfaced. Instead, Sabalenka leaned into her new identity. "I was just, like, 'Okay, I'm going to bring everything I have today. I'm going to fight until the last point,'" she recounted.
The statistics from the final underscore her successful implementation of this mindset. Sabalenka hit 15 aces and an astonishing 43 winners, numbers that reflect a player swinging freely and with conviction. More importantly, she navigated the high-pressure moments of the tiebreak not by thinking of the trophy, but by focusing exclusively on the next ball, the next point, the next mini-battle within the war.
Embracing the Process: Lessons from Past Heartbreak
Sabalenka’s public self-critique is a rare display of emotional intelligence and self-awareness from an elite athlete at the peak of her powers. She did not blame her previous losses on external factors or bad luck; she pinpointed the issue as an internal, controllable factor: her mindset. This ability to learn and adapt is what separates great champions from fleeting ones. The key takeaways from her transformation include:
- Detachment from Outcome: Shifting focus from winning the title to winning each individual point.
- Embracing the Struggle: Accepting that a Grand Slam final will be a brutal fight and welcoming that challenge.
- Process Over Prize: Trusting that executing her game plan is more important than the final result.
This analytical approach to her own psychology marks a significant maturation in Sabalenka’s career. "After those two finals, I realized that I'm not focusing on the fighting... I'm more focusing on the winning," she explained. "That's why I lost those two finals. I was too passive. I wasn't staying in the present."
A Champion's Perspective: Respect for Rivalry and the Future
Despite her personal breakthrough, Sabalenka was quick to praise her final opponent, acknowledging the unique pressure Gauff faced and predicting many more major battles between them. "It's always great battles against her," Sabalenka said. "I'm pretty sure we're going to have many more finals... Hopefully next time I'm going to get you." This mutual respect highlights the healthy rivalry developing at the top of the women's game, one that promises to define the sport for years to come.
With her third major secured, Sabalenka has firmly cemented her status as a dominant force in tennis. More importantly, she has unlocked a new mental framework for success. By calling out her own past behavior and correcting it under the brightest lights, she has proven that the greatest battles in sports are often won not on the court, but in the mind. Her victory in New York was not just a defense of a title; it was a validation of a new, stronger, and more resilient mindset—one that promises to make her a formidable contender for every trophy she chases from now on.