Aryna Sabalenka, one of the most powerful hitters on the women’s tour, has started from where she left off. Having finished 2020 with back-to-back titles in Ostrava and Linz, the Belarussian has surged into the final of the WTA season-opener in Abu Dhabi.
Sabalenka revealed that the book she is reading currently has inspired her somewhat. When asked the name of the book, after her semi-final win over Maria Sakkari on Tuesday, the 22-year-old blushed and giggled before disclosing it.
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The book is titled ‘The subtle art of not giving a f**k’. “No, but this is the name of the book,” she went on to explain. “I mean, this is not, I’m not…I’m not swearing here.”
“This book actually showed me that in life, there are so many important,” Sabalenka added.
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“Like, more important things than tennis and I’m just like, an after, after this book, I’m keep reading, but like, I just almost done. And I think I just understand that.”
Sabalenka, seeded fourth in Abu Dhabi, will take on Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Wednesday, hoping to clinch a hat-trick of titles.
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The Belarussian is currently ranked No 10 in the world in singles and No 5 in doubles. She has seven singles and four doubles titles to her name so far.
The big-hitting Sabalenka made her breakthrough in 2018, winning titles in New Haven and Wuhan and broke into the top-20 for the very first time. Sabalenka lists reading as one of her hobbies and her favourite book is the classic ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by French author Alexandre Dumas.
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Though Sabalenka has made her mark in tour events, she has struggled to translate that on the Grand Slam stage. Her best result was a fourth round finish at the 2018 US Open.
