What is Aryna Sabalenka’s superpower? World No. 1 believes balance is crucial to consistency
The top seed has had to juggle numerous on- and off-court obligations since rising to the top of women’s tennis.
We often evoke superheroic imagery when discussing elite athletes, particularly when they’re as dominant and imposing as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka was asked about her superhero arsenal after edging into the BNP Paribas Open semifinals over Victoria Mboko, 7-6 (0), 6-4 on Thursday, at first joking that her true superpower was the lack of one:
Q. What do you think is your superpower at this stage of your life, of your game?
ARYNA SABALENKA: I don't have superpower. Maybe that's my superpower (smiling).
I don't know. I think my superpower is balancing this on-and-off-the-court life. I think that's what really important, and I think that's where I'm good at.
Sabalenka has had to balance numerous on- and off-court obligations since rising to the top of women’s tennis. Represented by EVOLVE—Naomi Osaka’s former agency—the four-time Grand Slam champion had a busy off-season full of one-off matches and media appearances, including a visit to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
“Being World No. 1 opens a lot of doors,” she told me last summer at the US Open. “I meet a lot of great people. I start working with a lot of great brands.
“I think that's the beauty of being in sport and being one of the top players, that you have opportunity to meet incredible people and learn about life outside of tennis.”
Into the semifinals in Tennis Paradise, the 27-year-old is looking to break an interesting streak of Indian Wells champions, the last seven of whom were 23 and under when they lifted the trophy.
“Maybe because of the conditions, they younger, they physically stronger, so they can handle the heat better than us old people,” Sabalenka mused when asked whether the younger players had any superpowers helping them win in the desert.
“Well, I mean, I'll take it as motivation to break this number!”