After a five-year hiatus, the Wuhan Open returns on Monday. Aryna Sabalenka is targeting a return to the top spot in the world and believes she can catch up to Iga Swiatek with a strong showing.
Due to Swiatek’s withdrawal from the WTA 1000 competition following her announcement of a breakup with her three-year coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, Sabalenka is the tournament’s top seed.
Sabalenka has the opportunity to become the first three-time winner in Wuhan after being defeated by Karolina Muchova in the Beijing quarterfinals last week, snapping her 15-match winning streak.
Still, Sabalenka stated in Wuhan on Sunday that she cannot afford to overwork herself.
“Becoming the best is something I really want to do, it’s one of my goals,” the Belarusian, who took home the titles at the Australian and US Opens this year, stated.
“But I’ve discovered from experience that things can go wrong quickly if you put too much emphasis on defensive points, rankings, and other forms of pressure.
“Therefore, when I’m on the court, I just try to bring my best tennis and fight for every point. I prefer to concentrate on myself.
“If I’ll be able to bring my best tennis I know that I can become world number one.”
The WTA has reinstated the Wuhan Open on its schedule for the first time since 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Seven of the top 10 players in the world will be in the 56-player main draw starting on Monday.
In 2018 and 2019, Sabalenka won the Wuhan championship twice in a row.
With a bye into the second round, she will take against Czech top-40 player Katerina Siniakova or Filipina wildcard Alexandra Eala in an attempt to complete a hat-trick.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here and I remember the first time winning Wuhan was a very special moment,” Sabalenka remarked.
“Winning it twice in a row was a very unique experience. That I couldn’t return the following year made me very unhappy.
And now that I’m here, everything seems familiar, and I have a ton of amazing old memories. I sincerely hope I can achieve the same outcome as in 2019.”
Just over a thousand points separate Sabalenka and Swiatek in the standings after the latter won her third career Grand Slam championship at the US Open last month.
At the WTA Finals in Riyadh next month, which conclude the season, the race to be at the top will probably come down to the final moments.