Preparing for matches at the Australian Open involves warm-up exercises, speaking to coaches and in Aryna Sabalenka’s case writing on somebody’s head.
The newest ritual of the Belarusian player was noticed by fans during her fourth round win in Melbourne Park on Sunday. Sabalenka dropped only five games during her 6-3, 6-2, triumph over Amanda Anisimova. During the match, she dropped only four points behind her first serve and hit 18 winners against 12 unforced errors.
Watching the reigning champion from the sidelines was her fitness coach Jason Stacy who had something written on his head. When Sabalenka was quizzed about it, she revealed the writing was her signature and it is part of a new pre-match superstition she has.
“We just like to do weird shit, guys!” Sabalenka joked during her on-court interview.
“We just started this. I did it before the first match, and after I won, I told Jason, ‘Well, I guess it’s a routine right now.’ He’s not happy with that but he understands everything.”
The question many fans are wondering is how this new routine started in the first place.
“I don’t know. Somehow I decided to start drawing my signature on his head,” Sabalenka commented in her press conference.
“He’s like, Okay, anything for the win. I’m like, Thank you.”
The defending champion has now won 11 consecutive matches at the Australian Open which is the longest streak achieved by a female player at the tournament since Serena Williams (2017-2019). It is also the sixth consecutive event where she has reached the quarter-final stage of better.
Awaiting Sabalenka in the last eight will be Barbora Krejcikova who ended the fairytale run of 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva. The former French Open champion battled back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“I think I feel stronger than last year. So far I feel good. Hopefully, I just can keep it up.” Sabalenka commented on her current form.
“(Against) Barbora, we played a lot of matches. She plays really well. I think she’s coming back after injuries, so she is also super motivated.
“It’s going to be a great battle.”
Sabalenka is bidding to become the first women to win back-to-back Australian Open titles since Victoria Azarenka.
