Aryna Sabalenka reacts to shock Indian Wells change: ‘Good for me’
Aryna Sabalenka has revealed that she “loves” the new Indian Wells courts ahead of her quest for a first title in the desert.
World No 1 Sabalenka is among the favourites for the women’s singles title at the prestigious event, with action getting underway on Wednesday.
The Belarusian was beaten by Elena Rybakina in the final two years ago and suffered a shock defeat to Emma Navarro in the fourth round in 2024 – a year which yielded a growth in tennis betting around the world.
However, new conditions in the desert could well work to the hard-hitting Sabalenka’s advantage.
The tournament surface has switched from Plexipave to Laykold for 2025, with the new surface expected to play much faster than the previous slow surface.
On paper, that should aid the three-time Grand Slam winner’s quest for a first Indian Wells title – and the 26-year-old admits that she is pleased to be back at the event.
She said: “I’m super happy to be back. I love this tournament. It’s called ‘Tennis Paradise’ for a reason. It really feels like you’re in paradise. I’m just super happy to be here.
“I love them [the new courts]. They’re a little bit faster, which is good for me, right? No, but it feels good, feels good so far. I’ll tell you later after my first match. I hope I’ll still like it.
“I love this tournament. They call it another slam, so I’m pretty excited. I really want to go as far as possible.”
Sabalenka is a leading title contender but, like several key protagonists in the women’s singles draw, will need to bounce back from an underwhelming Middle East swing.
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The Belarusian was beaten in her opening match at the Qatar Open and ended the swing with a disappointing 1-2 record after a round-three loss at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
That continued a run of underwhelming displays in the Middle East for Sabalenka, though this time, her results came off the back of a heartbreaking defeat in the Australian Open final.
The two-time defending champion was stunned in three sets by Madison Keys in the final, and she has revealed that it took some time to recover from the disappointment.
“This kind of disappointing losses [Australian Open final] always motivate me to keep working hard. And yeah, that was a tough one, but I think it’s behind me,” added Sabalenka.
“I had some tough losses in the past, but that one was tough to accept, to be honest. It took me, like, a week and maybe a little bit longer than that to stop thinking and to finally move on.
“I’d say that lesson learned, and it’s in the past. It’s always – not always, actually – but it’s good to have these tough losses because next time, you’re going to do much better.
“It’s been like three years I couldn’t do well in Middle East.
“It’s a good problem to have, because I was really far at the Australian Open, so I was kind of like exhausted every time I’m in Middle East. So I’d say exhausted and had sick, so it was tough months.”
Like all the seeded players in Indian Wells, Sabalenka has received an opening-round bye at the tournament.
The world No 1 will face Anna Blinkova or home favourite McCartney Kessler in round two.
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