Sabalenka: "Learning to lose is the hardest lesson there is".

Aryna Sabalenka was close to a hat-trick of titles not achieved for almost thirty years.

The world number 1, two-time Australian Open title-holder, was just one match away from winning the Australian Grand Slam for the third time in a row.

In the final, however, she came up against Madison Keys, who won the biggest trophy of her career on this occasion.

In an interview with Flaunt, the Belarusian spoke of her relationship with tennis and the importance of disconnecting from it from time to time.

"Most of the time, I lose. Learning to lose is the hardest lesson there is. First of all, accepting defeat doesn't mean you have to behave badly.

Learning to lose means understanding that it's just a difficult moment. I'm number 1 in the world, but in 2024, I only won four tournaments.

That's why it's so important to enjoy life, even if you don't have the success you expect on the court. I'm very competitive.

I'm aggressive in certain aspects of my game on the court, it's a bit crazy. You have to stay on your guard, which is difficult to do on a daily basis.

When I'm not training, I try to only do things that give me joy. Sometimes it's something very simple, because it can just mean having a coffee.

You try to enjoy the place, take your time when you're having your drink. It's very important to disconnect.

When you reach the level you've always wanted to have, you look back at how far you've come and feel grateful, despite all the sacrifices and traumas you've been through.

It's the best feeling possible. It makes me realize that all my life, I've done the right thing. All the hours of work were not a waste of time", Sabalenka elaborated.