“I want to win my fourth championship here, and I’m ready.” World number one and three-time Wuhan Open champion Sabalenka confidently stated during the tournament’s press conference.
After withdrawing from the 2025 China Open due to physical injury, which sparked speculation about her health condition, Sabalenka clearly stated: “I’m fine and fully prepared.” She didn’t hide her expectations for the Wuhan Open: “I feel very good now, my body has recovered, and I’m in excellent condition. I’m very confident about challenging for my fourth Wuhan Open title. Of course, I can’t guarantee whether I’ll win the championship, but I hope to do my best and win the Wuhan Open again.”
Popular among many young people on social media platforms, Sabalenka particularly values her role model influence. “On the court I’m indeed fierce with an aggressive playing style, but off the court I want to show another side.” She hopes to let people see her true self.
Sabalenka said: “I need to show everyone my true self, let people see what kind of person I really am. That’s why I share parts of my life on social networks and engage in more interaction and communication with everyone.”
Previously, a video of Sabalenka learning to make Chinese egg fried rice during the Wuhan Open carnival went viral online, and this special experience left a lasting impression on Sabalenka herself. She said: “Making egg fried rice was quite interesting. I had a lot of fun at that time, just like when I cook at home. I think it’s not that easy – what ingredients to put in, what seasonings to add might be quite particular. Maybe this time I’ll buy some rice in China and take it back to make egg fried rice.”
As the reigning US Open champion and world number one, Sabalenka expressed being “quite satisfied” with her current state but emphasized the need to continuously learn and improve, maintaining “hunger”: “I’ve had some unsatisfactory performances this year too, but overall my performance has been quite good, especially winning the US Open. Of course, I think I need to learn more, draw lessons from failures, and become a better athlete. My goals remain the same – to become a better player, maintain my world number one ranking, see how far I can go in the future, how many championships I can win, and hope I can maintain this excellent form.”
