Aryna Sabalenka admits she was inspired to US Open triumph by ambition to keep her late father's name alive after adding another Grand Slam title

Sabalenka revealed how she has an ambition to keep her father's name alive

The Grand Slam superstar revealed she is motivated to keep winning titles

US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka says her motivation is a desire to keep her late father’s name alive – by etching it on to as many Grand Slam trophies as possible.

After adding this title to her back-to-back Australian Opens, the 26-year-old from Belarus was asked what drives her.

‘Well after I lost my father (in 2019, of meningitis) it has always been my goal to put our family name in the history of tennis,’ she said after beating American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a superb final.

‘Every time I see my name on that trophy, I'm so proud of myself, I'm proud of my family that they never gave up on my dream and they were doing everything they could to keep me going.

‘I had this opportunity in life. I still cannot believe what I was able to achieve, me with my team, we were able to achieve so much already.’

Aryna Sabalenka says her motivation is a desire to keep her late father’s name alive

Sabalenka's US Open triumph adds to her previous back-to-back Australian Open titles

Team Sabalenka have made huge strides in adding variety to her bone-crunching power

That team she mentions is a formidable unit. Coach Anton Dubrov and fitness coach Jason Stacy form the core, with hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski and numbers guy Shane Liyanage.

Together they have fostered an environment of continual improvement and madcap fun – a team built in the player’s image.

‘I don’t say it often but when I do I say it loud: I love you guys,’ said Sabalenka on court after her win, before joining them in the locker room to knock back champagne.

At the Australian Open this year Sabalenka signed Stacy’s bald head after each win, and here they took things one step further when he appeared with a tiger tattoo – matching the one on Sabalenka’s arm – on his scalp.

I hope it’s temporary, Sabalenka was asked. ‘No, it's permanent,’ she deadpanned, before adding: ‘In Washington there is one girl, she's my fan and she always come up with some cool stuff.

‘She brought these temporary tattoos, and Jason promised me that if I make it to the finals he's going to put it on his head. I wish it would be a little bit lower, like right here (on the forehead) would be cooler, right?’

Behind all the zaniness, team Sabalenka have made huge strides this year in adding variety to complement her bone-crunching power.

‘It's really good to have these options in your pocket, like sometimes you don't feel your best on the baseline and you can just go for a slice or a dropshot or come to the net,’ said Sabalenka.

‘I've always been working on this variation on the court. I'm really glad I'm brave enough to use these tools in those key moments.’

This is a match Sabalenka may well have lost a year ago: overhitting against the steady Pegula or melting down emotionally as 3-0 became 3-5 in the second set.

Beyond all her on-court skill, perhaps Sabalenka’s rarest gift is the ability, as an athlete, to let the audience in and carry them with her on the emotional journey through a match.

She grimaces after a bad miss, screams after an important point and, on Saturday after a double fault, she hacked at the court with her racket like a mad axeman.

Sabalenka is intoxicating to watch and the New York crowd have really taken to her: she received more support in the final than anyone should expect when facing an American.

Despite all this it feels as though Sabalenka is still only on the brink of global stardom, compared to Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and even Jannik Sinner. The elephant in the room is her nationality. At every tournament she plays, the spot by her name where the flag should be remains blank, as Belarus’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

It sticks in the craw that a victory Sabalenka is celebrated in the corridors of power of ‘Europe’s last dictator’ Aleksandr Lukashenko and his repressive regime.

But none of this is Sabalenka’s fault and, although she would certainly be more feted if she came from a more traditional tennis nation, she has too much star power to be held back for long.

Sabalenka secured her own redemption after losing last year's US Open final to Coco Gauff

Sabalenka previously tragically lost her father Sergey (left) to meningitis back in 2019

Her embrace of the spotlight – she gleefully sprang from pose to pose as she paraded her trophy in a floor-length red dress on Saturday night – is in great contrast to the only woman above her in the rankings.

World No1 Iga Swiatek keeps her cap pulled low on court and her cards close to her chest off it. That is her prerogative and her personality, but one cannot help but feel that, in terms of marketing the sport, Sabalenka would be a preferable figurehead for the women’s game.

The Pole is so dominant on clay and so consistent that she retains an iron grip on the top spot. But Sabalenka has looked far the better player on hard courts and grass, and should be capable of chasing her down.

‘I know that if I'm able to play my best tennis and to bring this fighting spirit on each game, I'll be able to become World No. 1 again,’ said Sabalenka.

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