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Sabalenka Credits Djokovic for Mindset Shift as She Opens WTA Finals Campaign

She points to a Wimbledon conversation with Djokovic as the catalyst for calmer play.

Overview

  • Aryna Sabalenka says she learned to "stay settled" and view situations from the outside, a lesson she attributes to Novak Djokovic.
  • The world No. 1 acknowledges she had "terrible" emotional control in the Australian Open and French Open finals and says she now stays calmer and sticks to her match plan.
  • She practiced with Djokovic in Athens after her US Open win and described time together off court as part of an ongoing friendship.
  • Sabalenka recalls an hour-long chat with Djokovic at Wimbledon and believes remembering his advice helped in New York.
  • She begins her WTA Finals in Riyadh against No. 8 seed Jasmine Paolini and says she prepared for the event as if it were a Grand Slam.