WASHINGTON: Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will return to action this week at the WTA Washington Open after a month-long absence due to a shoulder injury.
And the world number three hopes she will be as ready as her competitors currently competing at the Paris Olympics when the US Open begins on August 26.
“I still have a long way to go until the U.S. Open. I think I'll be ready,” Sabalenka said. “I'll probably just rest. I won't do anything.
“It was really important for me to take a little break at the end. I've been struggling really hard since March. I really needed it. I feel mentally more refreshed and ready to go. I'll be ready.”
Sabalenka reached the US Open semifinals in 2021 and 2022 and reached the New York final last year, losing to American Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka, the top seed from Washington, was unable to compete in the Olympics because Belarus was banned from sending athletes to Paris due to its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sabalenka is eager to return to competition after a lengthy rehabilitation for her right shoulder.
“I came here because I had been injured and had not played for a while,” Sabalenka said. “I thought I needed to get my confidence back and get back on level before going to the U.S. Open. So I had to play a few matches and that's why I came here.”
Sabalenka, who last competed in Washington in 2017, suffered a shoulder injury in Berlin last month that forced her to withdraw from the quarterfinals.
She later withdrew from Wimbledon, where she reached the semifinals on both occasions.
“It was a really tough decision. I've never had to withdraw from a tournament because of an injury,” she said. “I kept playing even when I was injured. It was still hard, but I was able to play. It was the first time I'd ever had that experience.
“But I was determined to take care of my health, do proper rehab, and get stronger. So the recovery was very tough. I did two weeks of rehab, a lot of exercise, a lot of therapy, a lot of recovery work.”
Sabalenka, 26, took a week and a half off the court to focus on improving her fitness.
“It felt like I was working out all day,” she said. “It felt like it was time to turn it off, but I was still working out, still doing something. It was really hard.
Sabalenka trained in hot and humid Florida, which helped her somewhat mimic similar conditions in the US capital.
“I feel physically better after being in Florida,” she said.
“I hope this injury won't bother me again and I'll be playing in the next Grand Slam. It's my favorite tournament. I really want to do well.”
