Sabalenka on Managing Stress: "I Can Learn to Better Manage My Energy"

Aryna Sabalenka is on a roll. The Belarusian, currently the world No. 1, recently won the WTA 1000 in Madrid against Coco Gauff and has started strong in her first match in the Eternal City.

In Rome, Sabalenka dominated Anastasia Potapova (6-2, 6-2) in the second round. Before facing Sofia Kenin for a spot in the round of 16, she reflected on how she handles stress during tournaments.

"How do you become world No. 1? There are no secrets—you just have to work day after day toward your goals and do everything you can to achieve your dreams.

Every day, I wake up and check how many hours I’ve slept. It helps me gauge my stress levels. I like knowing this because when I’m very stressed, I can learn to better manage my energy.

It helps me a lot, whether it’s me or my team. We don’t adjust our training based on this data, but this week, for example, they changed my schedule because I needed more rest.

At the start of tournaments, my stress levels aren’t very high, and I perform well. Then, toward the end, for some reason, it increases, but I still manage to keep doing things right.

On the day I finish the tournament, my numbers are in the red, and I need about two days to recover and be ready for the next event," the Belarusian explained to Tennis World Italia.