WASHINGTON: Two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka returns to action at this week's WTA Washington Open after taking a month off due to a shoulder injury.
And the world number three is counting on being as ready as her rivals now playing at the Paris Olympics, when the US Open begins on August 26.
“There's still a long way to go to get to the US Open. I have a feeling they'll be ready,” Sabalenka said. “They'll probably take a break. They won't play anything.
“In the end, it was really important for me to take a little break. I've had some really tough fights since March. It was very necessary. Mentally, I feel fresher and more ready to go. I'll be ready.”
Sabalenka reached the US Open semifinals in 2021 and 2022 and last year reached the final in New York, where she lost to American Coco Gauff.
Washington's top seed Sabalenka was unable to compete at the Olympics because her home country, Belarus, was banned from sending athletes to Paris because of its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sabalenka wants to return to the court to compete after a long rehabilitation work on her right shoulder.
“I'm here because I got injured and I haven't played in a while,” Sabalenka said. “I felt like I needed to get my confidence back and get back on track before I go to the US Open. So I need to play some matches and that's why I'm here.”
Sabalenka, who last played in Washington in 2017, suffered a shoulder injury last month in Berlin, forcing her to withdraw from a quarterfinal match.
He subsequently withdrew from Wimbledon, where he had reached the semifinals in his two previous appearances.
“It was a very tough decision because I never withdrew from the tournament because of injury,” she said. “Even though I was injured, I was still playing. I was still struggling, but I was able to play. It was my first experience like that.
“But I decided to take care of my health, to do a real rehab, to come back stronger. So the recovery was really tough because for two weeks I was doing rehab, like a lot of exercises, a lot of treatments, a lot of recovery stuff.”
Sabalenka, 26, has been off the court for a week and a half to focus on her fitness.
“It felt like I’d been working out all day,” he said. “It feels like it’s time to take a break, but you’re still working out, you’re still doing something. It was really tough.
Sabalenka trained in hot, humid Florida, making similar conditions in the U.S. capital a little easier.
“I feel like I’m well prepared physically after Florida,” she said.
“I hope this injury doesn't bother me anymore and I can play the next Grand Slam, which is my favorite. I really want to do well there.”
