Coach Mac Mirnyi says Aryna Sabalenka is "not a machine nor robotic," and stays optimistic the US Open is the place the place the 27-year-old will lastly finish her Grand Slam drought.
Since 2023, no participant has been extra constant in Grand Slams than Sabalenka. Over the previous three years, she has received three Grand Slam titles – completed runner-up three – and made the semifinal on three separate events. In terms of this season, the world No. 1 is 21-3 on the Grand Slam stage. On paper, it's an ideal document. However the challenge is that the Belarusian misplaced back-to-back Slam finals on the Australian Open (d. by Madison Keys) and the French Open (d. by Coco Gauff), whereas additionally exiting Wimbledon within the semifinal (d. by Amanda Anisimova).
In all of these three Main matches that she misplaced in 2025, Sabalenka entered as the favourite. And in each of these three losses, she struggled to play her greatest and dedicated extra errors than she normally would.
However now, the world No. 1 is within the midst of one other deep Grand Slam run since she has been via to the US Open semifinal. There, the defending champion performs towards Jessica Pegula – the identical participant she beat in final yr's ultimate at Flushing Meadows.
Mirnyi, a former Belarusian star who received 11 Main titles throughout males's and combined doubles,' was added to Sabalenka's staff to help her through the North American hard-court swing.
Coach Mirnyi: Sabalenka just isn’t a machine, robotic… But it surely's OK, she is making the deeper phases of Slams frequently
"All the pieces fluctuates in life. We're not machines, we're not robots, proper? Nearly as good as among the professionals are of their fields, they’re nonetheless human. It comes right down to being good, however not all the time excellent. A tennis match may be very powerful to make excellent. But it surely's OK – she's attending to the latter phases of Slams persistently, which makes us consider she is placing herself within the place time and time once more to win it," former doubles world No. 1 Mirnyi instructed BBC Sport.
Sabalenka, Pegula, Anisimova and Naomi Osaka are the 4 gamers left alive on this yr's US Open match version. The highest-seeded Belarusian is the clear favourite to come back out on high, and it stays to be seen if she will do it.
