Aryna Sabalenka continued her phenomenal career at the US Open, winning the hard-court event for the second time.
Sabalenka claimed her fourth career Grand Slam title in New York earlier this month, defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final.
She has remained atop the world rankings following her latest US Open success, for which Sabalenka earned $5million.
The Belarusian is now a 21-time champion on the WTA Tour, with four of those titles having arrived this season.
Sabalenka was kicked out of Arthur Ashe Stadium shortly after her win, needing to continue her celebrations elsewhere.
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesAryna Sabalenka names her three most ‘life-changing’ matches
And she has now done that on The Jay Shetty Podcast, where she discussed the three most “life-changing” matches of her career so far.
Sabalenka said: “I think the semifinal with Madison Keys at the US Open two years ago. I was down a set and I think 5-1 and I came back and won the match and then made my first finals, so I think that was the moment I realised a lot of things.
“Winning the first Slam, of course, gave me huge, huge belief that I am capable of it and my life was not a waste of time. It would have been really difficult for me to finish my career without a Slam.
“And the third one, there was one match where I won a tournament in Doha and I won the tournament but I think in the quarterfinals I was also down a set and struggling a lot and not playing my best tennis, and I won that match and won the tournament. That also was a big moment for me.”
Why Aryna Sabalenka deserves big praise after more Grand Slam success
It’s fair to say that Sabalenka’s career has been far from a waste of time, with the Belarusian having achieved stunning success so far.
And given her current form and her age, the 27-year-old doesn’t look to be finished with collecting silverware.
Aryna Sabalenka’s most life-changing matches
She could, of course, have had even more to her name, having lost US Open, Australian Open and French Open finals.
But Sabalenka deserves huge praise for recovering from such heartbreaks in stunning fashion, having also won the small matter of two Grand Slam doubles titles in her career.
But those life-changing matches will be remembered fondly for many reasons other than glory, helping her become the formidable force she is today.
Sabalenka should be a real inspiration for her WTA rivals and indeed aspiring tennis players, with her hard-hitting and tenacious attitude combining perfectly over the years to generate fantastic success.
Her superb career now comprises a huge 472 wins compared to 198 losses, with her status as world number one evidently under no real danger.