Aryna Sabalenka admits she didn’t expect to be here at 25 but noted she is super proud of her effort and where she has been able to come. Sabalenka, who turned 25 on Friday, defeatedIga Swiatekin the Madrid Open final 6-3 3-6 6-3 to lift her third title in 2023 and overall her 13th title.

So far in 2023, Sabalenka has made five finals and she has three titles – including the biggest win of her career at this year’s Australian Open. Sabalenka has titles on all levels as she is now a Grand Slam champion, a WTA 1000 champion, and she also has one title at the WTA Finals.

Sabalenka is currently enjoying a career-high ranking of No 2 in the world and the Belarusian is aiming to reach the world No 1 for the first time in her career in 2023.

“No, if someone would say I would be a Grand Slam champion and I would be No.2 in the world and that I would be winning titles on clay, I would have thought, ‘I don’t know, it’s a lot of work to do and I’m not sure that I’m capable of this.’

I wasn’t actually thinking about that. I think that was the key. I was just working super hard, I kept improving my game, finding things that I could do better, analyze my game a lot. So it was a lot of hard work since my very first match at Fed Cup.

Looking back I’m super proud of myself and my team and what we’ve done these last years,” Sabalenka said on the WTA Insider podcast. Sabalenka thinks her outstanding work ethic and commitment to the game is the main reason behind her tennis success.

“I was always told that if you’re not working hard there’s no way you can be a top player. That’s why I was crazy about fitness and tennis. I could stay all day on the tennis court or do fitness all day long. It definitely helped me to be mentally tough,” Sabalenka explained.