WASHINGTON: Reigning two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka returned to competition at the WTA Washington Open this week after a month-long layoff due to injury.
And the world number three will be hoping to be as ready as her current rivals at the Paris Olympics when the US Open kicks off on August 26.
“It's still a long way to the US Open. I feel they will be ready,” Sabalenka said. “They're probably just taking a break. They won't play anything.
“In the end it was important for me to take a break. I have been struggling since March. It was very necessary. Mentally, I feel fresher and ready to go. I will be ready.”
Sabalenka reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2021 and 2022 and last year reached the final in New York, where she defeated American Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka, the top seed in Washington, was unable to compete in the Olympics because her home country of Belarus was banned from sending athletes to Paris for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sabalenka is eager to get back on the court after a lengthy rehabilitation process on her right shoulder.
“I'm here because I'm injured and haven't played for a while,” Sabalenka said. “I feel like I need to build my confidence and build my level before I go to the US Open. So I need to play some matches and that's why I'm here.”
Sabalenka, who last played in Washington in 2017, suffered a shoulder injury last month in Berlin, forcing her to withdraw from the quarterfinals.
She then withdrew from Wimbledon, where she had made the semifinals in her previous two appearances.
“It was a very tough decision because I've never been out of a competition because of an injury,” he said. “Even though I was injured, I still played. I still struggled, but I was able to play. It was my first such experience.
“But I decided to take care of my health, do proper rehabilitation, get stronger. So the recovery was really tough because for two weeks I was doing rehab, like a lot of exercises, a lot of therapy, a lot of rehab stuff.
Sabalenka, 26, has been sidelined for a week and a half to focus on fitness.
“I feel like I've been practicing all day,” he said. “It seems like it's time to leave, but you're still working, you're still doing something.” It was very loud.
Sabalenka worked in hot and humid Florida, making it easy for her to experience similar conditions in the US capital.
“I felt like I was physically ready after Florida,” he said.
“I hope that this injury will not bother me anymore and I will be able to compete in the next Grand Slam, which I really want. I really want to do well there.”
