{"id":287825,"date":"2025-07-24T11:51:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T11:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/287825\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T11:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T11:51:13","slug":"aryna-sabalenka-explains-why-she-almost-retired-from-tennis-in-2022-it-was-a-sign-to-quit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/287825\/","title":{"rendered":"Aryna Sabalenka explains why she almost retired from tennis in 2022, ‘it was a sign to quit’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aryna Sabalenka is the best player in the world today and maintains a healthy lead atop the world rankings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No woman has won more WTA<\/a> singles titles than Sabalenka in 2025, as she took home the Brisbane International, Miami Open, and Madrid Open.<\/p>\n

She has, however, failed to get over the line at the Grand Slam events, losing two finals to Madison Keys<\/a> (Australian Open) and Coco Gauff (French Open), and one semifinal to Amanda Anisimova (Wimbledon).<\/p>\n

\"ArynaPhoto by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Despite her major shortcomings, Sabalenka<\/a> remains world number one, and leads number two Gauff by over 4,500 points.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s top of the world right now, but that hasn\u2019t always been the case, as the Belarusian now explains why she almost retired from tennis three years ago.<\/p>\n

Aryna Sabalenka thought her serving struggles were a \u2018sign\u2019 for her to retire in 2022<\/p>\n

During an interview with Cosmopolitan<\/a>, Sabalenka reflected on the struggles she faced in 2022 that nearly made her quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such a long process. A lot of tennis is in your head. You\u2019re always talking to yourself and dealing with emotional moments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe truly tried everything to fix my serve, and nothing worked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought maybe it was a sign to quit and do something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ArynaPhoto by Tim Clayton\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sabalenka\u2019s serve was once a point of weakness in her game, as she often offered up several double faults to her opponents.<\/p>\n

Working hard to address that area of her game, Sabalenka chose to stick with tennis, a decision that has clearly paid off.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it ended up being a turning point for me. I stayed with it, worked even harder, and mentally, I found myself. I got through by trying over and over again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked a lot with my team and brought new people into the team. It\u2019s very important to have the right people around you, especially during those moments. It\u2019s all about support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fixing her serve, Sabalenka has competed in six Grand Slam finals since, winning three, becoming world number one in the process.<\/p>\n