Regardless of the outcome of a point, Aryna Sabalenka’s reactions leave little to the imagination.
And while she has worked hard in the past year to temper – or perhaps better channel – her on-court intensity, there was no denying what it meant to finally close out a maiden Grand Slam triumph on her fourth championship point at Rod Laver Arena in 2023.
The occasion had come knocking before, and she’d stumbled.
It took 15 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments to reach her first semifinal, and in her first major final against reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina there was some concern after she conceded a tough opening set.
Rybakina already had that first major trophy in the bag, so the pressure was firmly on Sabalenka’s shoulders this time around.
It ended up being the highest-quality women’s Grand Slam final of the year, among the greatest seen.
Sabalenka held her ground, and finished up sprawled sobbing upon it, after she closed out a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory.
The weight had finally lifted.
“I believed in myself, but I was waiting for so long, I was working so hard, I couldn't get it. I had tough losses in the semifinals,” Sabalenka said in the month following her triumph.
“Then when I won… it means a lot. I was super happy. I couldn't believe it in the beginning. Then for the next I think week I was like, Oh, my God, I did it. Yes, it happened… (but) I want more. ‘Motivation’, this is the word. More motivation to work hard, just to feel it again.”
"THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE": Sabalenka beaming after major breakthrough
It was ultimately the high point of the 25-year-old’s most impressive season. Riding an 11-match winning streak, after claiming the Adelaide title leading in, the wheels were in motion for her ascent to world No.1.
Sabalenka ultimately reached the pinnacle following the US Open in September and held down top spot for almost two months, right up until the final match of the season.
Iga Swiatek had ended her run in the WTA Finals semifinals and subsequently snatched the year-end No.1 from her grasp with victory in the final.
Consistency at the biggest events was a hallmark of Sabalenka’s season.
Another chapter in her rivalry with Rybakina was added in the Indian Wells final, where the tables were turned on their Australian Open result (they split four matches in 2023).
Sabalenka fell in the Stuttgart final to Swiatek but gained revenge for the Madrid title, her third of the season.
She became the first woman since Justine Henin in 2006 to reach the semifinals or better at the four Grand Slam tournaments and WTA Finals in the same year.
Outside Melbourne Park, the majors were not without heartache though.
She held a match point against Karolina Muchova only to lose their Roland Garros semifinal, did not capitalise on a set-and-a-break lead against Ons Jabeur in the last four at Wimbledon, and let a one-set margin slip in the US Open final against Coco Gauff.
Disappointments aside, it was easily her finest season to date. She reached at least the quarterfinals in 13 of 15 events and the semifinals or better in 10 of those.
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“I wish I would know earlier that I actually can play that good,” Sabalenka said of 2023.
“It's just a super great season, I think the best season in my life so far. Hopefully this is just the beginning, with every year I'll play better and better and the results will be better and better.
“I use this year as a motivation for me to keep working hard, to keep pushing and see where my limits are.”