Aryna Sabalenka thanks her family during winning speech and now targets similar success on clay and grass after winning second Australian Open title; we will bring you live commentary & analysis from the men's final between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev at 8am Sunday
Saturday 27 January 2024 13:40, UK
Aryna Sabalenka called her father the "biggest motivation" behind her Australian Open success story but clay and grass are her next major focus.
Sabalenka's father Sergey, a former ice hockey player, passed away suddenly at the age of 43 in 2019 and the intervening couple of years on the tour proved difficult for her to focus on her career.
He desired to see her become world No 1 and win a couple of Grand Slam titles.
She reached the pinnacle last September and the Belarusian completed a ruthless defence of her Australian Open title on Saturday by defeating first-timer Qinwen Zheng with a sparkling performance on Rod Laver Arena to accomplish the dream.
Sabalenka needed five championship points before finishing off with a forehand crosscourt winner to become the first woman since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013 to win back-to-back titles here, and the fifth since 2000 to win the title here without dropping a set.
Speaking on-court, Sabalenka thanked her closest ones, saying: "I never speak about my family in these speeches but I have to say thank you for everything they've done for me. I love you so much, you're my biggest motivation. I can't wait to come back."
The 25-year-old later added: "I never really speak about my family during speeches. But I just wanted to make sure that they know how much they mean to me and that they are my biggest motivation and I'm doing everything for them.
"Of course he's [father] my biggest motivation. He's been everything for me.
"But right now I have my mom, my sister, who is here with me, and I feel like I have to think about them. I just feel that he's always with me.
"I'm very thankful for everything he did for me, and I think if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here."
With two Grand Slam titles to her name in Melbourne and three hard-court Grand Slam finals, Sabalenka feels she can achieve the same results on clay and grass with the French Open and Wimbledon her next target.
"I definitely think that if I'm going to keep working like I'm working right now, and if we're going to keep building what we are building right now, I'm definitely able to do the same on the clay and on the grass," warned Sabalenka.
"I'll just keep working hard and hopefully this year I'll achieve the same goal on clay or on the grass."
Zheng said she was bitterly disappointed not to have shown her best tennis as she was blown off the court by Sabalenka.
The 21-year-old, playing her first Grand Slam final and hoping to emulate her childhood hero Li Na's 2014 triumph at Melbourne Park, showed her best game only fleetingly as Sabalenka retained the title.
"I didn't play my tennis there," she said. "Yeah, I mean, she's obviously aggressive, but I had to hold more of the ball off her, and at the same time be as aggressive as she was.
"And today's match, I didn't perform my best. That's a real pity for me, because I really want to show better than that."
Zheng, who will enter the top 10 in the world, said she felt a little positive she had made the final in her ninth Grand Slam.
Overall, though, the margin of defeat was a chastening reality check on how much more work she needed to do on her game to compete with the best.
"Maybe I have to work more on my tennis, also work more on my mental side, work more on myself to be able to get through this moment," she added.
"Because if you lose, there must be a reason behind why you lose, and we have to try to figure out why and then come back stronger and better next time.
"I think I can learn more with the loss today, and then I just hope next time I can come back as a better tennis player, and come back stronger."
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