Sabalenka began this year’s bid to become the first woman since 1999 to win three consecutive Australian titles, but lost in a good madison key. He then let his emotions run wild on the court in his Garros loss to Gauff.
“Losing the final of the biggest tournament and you don’t think it’s clean,” he said.
“I have to sit down and reflect on everything, and make sure people understand my point – that I’m completely wrong.
“It was a tough lesson but it helped me in a lot of different ways.”
Sabalenka battled her emotions at Wimbledon, most impressively against home favorite Emma Ruhucanu in the third round. “Maybe earlier in my career, I would have gone crazy and lost that set,” he said afterward.
“I was like, ‘Don’t waste your energy – keep everything you have left inside’.”
After a semi-final loss in which Sabalenga felt that she was not as “brave” opponent amanda anisimova, she opted for a holiday. There, Sabalenga reflected on why he let his emotions “control me in the two finals”.
He made a decision – during his open title game, he, not his emotions, will decide his fate.
Sabalenka cruised through the draw and found herself facing Anisimova in the final, with the American looking to overcome a brutal Wimbledon final loss. Given the pressure Sabalenka feels to make sure she doesn’t finish the year without a slam, this will be a huge test of her mental strength.
This is, arguably, the most mature Sabalenka of the season. Even a missed overhead as he served for the title was greeted with a wry smile. Sabalenka was broken in that game but put together a dominant streak in the win.
“I know that [because of] The hard work we put in, I deserve to have a grand slam title this season,” added Sabalenga.
“Getting this trophy I learned a lesson. I became a better player, I have better control of my emotions, and I am super happy.”
There is still work to be done, as the WTA Finals title show is missing. But Sabalenka was able to shake off the loss quickly – a positive sign for her after a tricky year.
“After a little while, I feel good. The bad thing at this time [is] I’ve lost most of the biggest finals I’ve made,” he added.
“So I thought I’d just sit in the Maldives with my tequila and think that actually, it’s really good.
“I just need to differentiate myself and hopefully next season I will improve.”