Aryna Sabalenka reveals the ‘really important’ advice Novak Djokovic has given her for big matches
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic have both come up short this season on their hunt for more Grand Slam glory.
Both players reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, but they were beaten by Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina respectively.
Their fortunes have been different at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with both stars suffering early exits from the illustrious tournaments.
Djokovic was beaten in the third round of Roland Garros and the semi final of Wimbledon, while Sabalenka exited the French competition at the quarter final stage and lost in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Both stars are looking to climb the mountain yet again at the US Open and they will be among the favourites to do so in New York.
Ahead of the North American swing, Sabalenka has revealed a key piece of advice Djokovic gave her when it came to preparing for big finals.
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Speaking to First&Red, the World No 1 said: “I actually asked him for advice more on the emotional side about how you get into the right mindset for big finals.
“And he said, ‘Well, for me, it’s really important… to have some form of meditation.’ Going for a walk in nature is a kind of meditation, or just taking a moment during the match.
“Obviously, he shouts too; it helps him let out his emotions, and I’m the same way. Sometimes I need to shout to get it all out. It lets me refocus.”
Sabalenka and Djokovic have long been friends at the very top of tennis and they have even played doubles together at the 2024 Australian Open.
The pair teamed up for a charity doubles match at the beginning of the Melbourne event in 2024, taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari.
“I’m super happy to be back – it’s my favourite place,” Sabalenka said ahead of her doubles debut with Djokovic after she walked onto Rod Laver Arena.“And I’m happy to join these great players tonight and hopefully you guys will have fun and enjoy our tennis.”
The pair could be an outside bet to team up once again for the US Open Mixed Doubles Challenge, should a potential boycott of the event by the top players fall by the wayside.
At last year’s event, Djokovic teamed up with Olga Danilović while Sabalenka’s potential partnership with Grigor Dimitrov was curtailed due to the Bulgarian’s injury at Wimbledon.
This year’s event is set to take place in the first week of the US Open, which begins on August 25th.
