"Pressure is Part of Our Lives": In Conversation with Aryna Sabalenka

The World No. 1 looks to the U.S. Open after a string of tough losses.

Aryna Sabalenka plays mixed doubles in Flushing Meadows. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The world has come to know two Aryna Sabalenkas.

One lives across the net, six feet of controlled agression and punctuated groundstrokes that won her four Grand Slams. The other lives off the court, seemingly incapable of taking herself quite as seriously as her résumé suggests she should as she dances on TikTok and experiments with high fashion.

While the two often work in tandem to keep the Belarussian balanced while traveling on tour, lately, they've appeared disjointed.

An Up and Down Season

Sabalenka arrives at the US Open as the reigning World No. 1 and defending champion, although she enters the tournament lacking the momentum one might expect from either distinction. A series of fourth round losses interrupted a season that once seemed promising after a hard fought Sunshine Double in March. For a player accustomed to being the one everyone else is chasing, it may seem daunting to have to find that magic again. Not for Sabalenka.

"That's the life of an athlete," Sabalenka told Serve over zoom a few days after her loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova in Toronto. "I feel like its important to go through these ups and downs with your head up and just keep working hard, keep trying to improve your game [so] whenever there is the moment for you to get back, you're ready."

The 28-year-old has taken her recent losses in stride. She admitted that while she hasn't been "crazy good," there's a lot to takeaway from her string of short runs.

"I just have to get back on track, meaning get back on trusting myself and whatever my intuition tells me," she said. "I have to really trust it and go for it because sometimes I just change my decisions during the match, and I think that really creates a lot of problems."

The Weight of Being World No. 1

The criticism towards Sabalenka's losses, especially as a World No. 1, is not new. Despite being a three-time Grand Slam champion at the time, she was heavily criticized in 2025 for failing to win a Slam as the number one player in the world (she later went on to win the US Open that year, successfully defending her title from 2024). That same pressure follows her now, although it doesn't impact her in the way one would expect.

"Pressure is just part of our lives," she said. "It doesn't matter if you're number one or [not]. It's important to focus on yourself, and that's what I'm doing, trying to focus on myself."

An Unfiltered Presence On and Off the Court

That mindset is a new level of maturity for an athlete whose emotions have always been visible on court. Sabalenka has rarely possessed the relatively calm demeanor traditionally associated with tennis. She yells. She laughs. She gets frustrated and smashes rackets.

Her boldness is no different off the court. She shares dancing videos and playful content with her 7.3 million followers across TikTok and Instagram while documenting her life on tour through her YouTube series, Aryna’s Arena. Sabalenka makes little effort to tone herself down, regarding her social media persona as an asset rather than a flaw. Others don't share that opinion.

Aryna Sabalenka brings the Marg-Aryna to the US Open with Dobel Tequila. | Courtesy of Dobel

"Too much TikTok" one comment under her Instagram post on her loss in Toronto reads. "Less bikins n more tennis" another one writes on her bts shoot for TIME after her loss in Cincinnati. Sabalenka isn't bothered.

"I just love to share myself," she said. "I like to share my life trying to be a good influence on people...some fun moments just so people go on my Instagram and have a laugh."

A Brand as Big as Her Game

The Belarussian's charming personality and talent on court has led to several lucrative partnerships with the likes of Dobel Tequila, Whoop, Wilson, and Gucci, making her the second highest paid female athlete in the world in 2025 after Coco Gauff.

Of all her sponsorships, perhaps the most popular is her collaboration with Material Good, which has seen her wear a neckalce made up of more than 200 carats of precious stones, including 23 carats of diamonds, at Roland Garros. The US Open will be no different, with Sabalenka debuting a necklace made up of several carats of multicolored precious stones during the mixed doubles tournaments.

"It's just another world," she said. "Fashion is my passion. It also opens the door to the new world. You get to know people from other industries, you learn from them, and it's just a great opportunity to become a better version of yourself.

Refocusing Heading Into New York

Sabalenka is in high demand, and its no surprise given what she's capable of. She's more than aware of the eyes that will be on her as the tour heads into the last Slam of the year, but the four-time major champion has other priorities on her mind.

"This season, I focused a little bit on results, and I think that's been not really successful for me," she said. "From today, I want to focus on myself and really enjoying the battles, enjoying the fights. That's the best approach for me."