Aryna Sabalenka can't lose. The 22-year-old Belarusian finished the 2020 season with back-to-back titles and she kicked off her 2021 season with another, defeating Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-2 to win the Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open. Her winning week extended her career-best winning streak to 15 matches, secured her third consecutive title and ninth of her career, and will propel her to a new career-high ranking on Monday at No.7.
That's not a bad week of work.
Sabalenka joined the WTA Insider Podcast from Abu Dhabi and reveals how losing her father put her tennis in perspective and how she plans to deal with the heightened expectations as she heads to the Australian Open as the hottest player on tour.