“Always pushing me to play my best tennis, I wouldn’t have cared if …”: Aryna Sabalenka heavily lauds ONE opponent who always brings out the best in her amid WTA Finals battle
Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, pulled off a tense victory in her semifinal match at the 2025 WTA Finals against Amanda Anisimova, demonstrating both resilience and focus under pressure.
Speaking after the match, Sabalenka gave fans a candid look at her mindset during the encounter.
Very much the tale of two very different halves as Sabalenka took to the front early only for Anisimova who was devoid of answers to come back and win the second set and throw the cat firmly among the pigeons as she was in the ascendancy against the World No.1.
But asked whether she thinks about herself being World No.1 and she should be doing better, she said that it is more focus on the game as opposed to her seeing herself as the best.
“When I’m on court, I’m just focusing on my game and trying to give everything I have on each point,” she explained. “At some point in the match, I was telling myself, ‘Come on, Aryna, enjoy this fight. Try to do your best.’ This is the moment you’ve been working for — just enjoy it and try to do everything you can on each point.”
The match wasn’t without its challenges. Facing Amanda Anisimova, Sabalenka hit a difficult stretch in the second set as her opponent played exceptional tennis. Also a player who has long tormented Sabalenka on the court.
Sabalenka finally figures out Anisimova, onto Rybakina
For a long time albeit the gap has now closed, Sabalenka was winless against Anisimova and they have exchanged wins this year in majors at Wimbledon and the US Open. But it was Sabalenka who finally had the last laugh this time around. “At some point I thought, ‘OK, I have to change the rhythm. I have to do something to make her think,’” she said.
“She played incredible tennis, and there wasn’t much I could do in that set. So I started preparing myself for the third set, and I think that really helped me — to understand the game a little bit better and to put that doubt in her head, that not everything was going to go as smoothly as it did at the beginning of the second set.”
Looking ahead, Sabalenka faces Elena Rybakina in the final — a match that carries the additional motivation of winning a trophy she has yet to add to her collection. “This is the last match of the season — not the last ever, but one more opportunity to hold this beautiful trophy. Hopefully not the last time!” she said. “I’m ready to give everything I have left this season for this final match, and I’m really hoping for the best.”
She also added on court praising Amanda Anisimova to the hilt. “You know, she’s always pushing me to play my best tennis, and honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if I had lost this match because I think we played an incredible match and both deserved this place in the finals. Yeah, that was an incredible fight. I’m super happy to get the win.”
“I just told Amanda that she should be proud of her season. She played incredible—just incredible tennis the whole season. And it’s just the beginning, you know. I know now she’s probably disappointed, but there are many more great things coming her way for sure.”
With her characteristic mix of determination and warmth, Sabalenka concluded the interview on a light note, acknowledging her fans and the excitement of the final. “Thank you, thank you so much,” she said, as anticipation builds for what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the 2025 season.
