Aryna Sabalenka shares big change she made after taking advice from Novak Djokovic before the US Open
WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has shared how a chat with Novak Djokovic helped her make a big change to her game ahead of the US Open.
Sabalenka won the last two North American majors and is aiming to keep her streak going at Flushing Meadows next month. After a tough 2026 where she didn’t win any of the three big tournaments – the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon – she’s ready for a fresh start.
Even though she’s won 86% of her singles matches this year, Sabalenka hasn’t taken home a major title yet. Her best Grand Slam showing was at the Australian Open, where she lost to Elena Rybakina in the final. On the bright side, she did win the Brisbane International and completed the Sunshine Double.
At the French Open, she was surprisingly knocked out in the quarter-finals by Diana Shnaider, despite leading by a set and two breaks.
At Wimbledon, she lost to Naomi Osaka in the round of 16 and even joked that all she wanted to do afterward was “get drunk and drown her sorrows.”
She said, “I messed up this year. Next year, I’ll try to do better. Honestly, my level was really low that day, and she was playing her best. The more we played, the worse I felt, and the better she got.”
“I’ll come back stronger,” Sabalenka added. “We’ll start building everything from scratch for the next one.”
It seems she’s looked closely at her game before the fourth major of the year and even got some advice from 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
On a chat show called First&Red, the 28-year-old said, “We were talking once, and I really like his return game. I asked him, ‘What do you focus on when you’re waiting to return? Your return is way better than mine.’”
He told her he has a special stance, so she tried it and found it easier to react. He also said he focuses on himself by doing a split-step and then reacting. Plus, he mentioned that you can often tell where the opponent is going to serve or just get a feel for it.
“That was the advice! Since then, he keeps saying, ‘You’re copying me.’ Well, I’m copying the best! His technique helped me.”
“I changed a few things. It’s not exactly the same, but the technique is a bit like his.”
Sabalenka hasn’t lost at the US Open since 2023, when she finished as runner-up to Coco Gauff.