A hard day’s work did not yield the result Aryna Sabalenka hoped for and dreamed of during her time in the office on Saturday, and that means one thing.
She’s having herself a drink.
Sabalenka’s office was Arthur Ashe Stadium—where 24,000-plus strongly (and, understandably) backed her opponent—and she came up just shy of winning a second Grand Slam singles title, dropping a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 heartbreaker to American Coco Gauff in the US Open women’s singles final. During the traditional "happy hour," Sabalenka dictated the match with her power, breaking Gauff’s serve three times on her way to a first-set victory in 40 minutes.
Instead of book-ending her Grand Slam season with Grand Slam titles, Sabalenka found herself in another familiar position during her already-stellar career: fighting her emotions as another pivotal match started to slip away.
In tandem with her level dropping, Sabalenka saw Gauff chase down almost every powerful groundstroke as the American’s play, in concert with the volume of the crowd, went up a number of notches. Gauff’s hot summer, including titles in Washington and Cincinnati, proved to bear the ultimate fruit.
As "happy hour" turned into evening hours, it was Gauff who fulfilled the promise that many had for her since she first became a teenager and clinched her first Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka, who lost in the US Open semifinals the last two years prior, was left out in the Flushing Meadows cold at the final stage of the year’s final major. Time for a cold one.
“I'm definitely going for a drink tonight, if I'm allowed to say that,” a smiling Sabalenka said in the post-match press conference. “Yes, we are athletes, but sometimes we are drinking, but not much.”
Despite the defeat, there's a lot to toast Sabalenka for. She's arguably had the best season of any player this year on the WTA Tour this year; reaching at least the semifinals in all four majors, winning her first Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne at the Australian Open, three singles titles overall (including her second victory at the 1000 event in Madrid, defeating No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the final), and, starting on Monday, becoming the new world No. 1 for the first time in her career.
“Becoming a world No. 1, it's a huge improvement and achievement,” Sabalenka said. “I'm really proud of myself that all those years I have been working so hard helped me to become World No. 1.
“But for me, it's more about the [year-end] world No. 1, not just like [becoming] world No. 1 and then next week you're second. It's good that I can say I have been world No. 1, but I really would like to finish the year as world No. 1. That's why I'm still positive and I'm still motivated.”
All of those accomplishments are made all the more impressive given that Sabalenka was at a near-crossroads in her career at the beginning of 2022. Her serve came down with a case of the yips and matches where she would throw in at least 10 double faults became routine. Her coaching staff had offered their resignations to her in hopes that a different voice would provide her the remedy she needed, but Sabalenka refused them, deciding that the best person to provide the remedy for her ills was herself.
She bet on herself and she was right, not only a testament to her but to her team and family, who helped maintain her head and get her back on track. One year later, she became the first woman to reach the semifinals in all four majors in a calendar year since Serena Williams in 2016.
Sabalenka tried her best to hold in the emotions of losing for the first time in a Grand Slam final, but broke down in her on-court interview after the match, apologizing to her family back home for not winning the title.
“Without [my family], I wouldn't be here. They have been pushing themselves so hard so I would have this chance to become a tennis player,” Sabalenka said. “I don't know what time is it there right now. It's probably night. For me, it's important to get good sleep for them. So they were awake, watching me. I mean, now they have to go to bed, but they're not going to sleep well. So that's what I apologize for.”
No need to apologize, Aryna. She comported herself as the champion she is and, come dawn on Monday, her reign as the world No. 1 is set to begin.
Time for a celebratory drink.
