"Aryna Sabalenka was ready emotionally, the best I’ve ever seen her" - Lindsay Davenport on Belarusian's Australian Open 2024 title win

Lindsay Davenport recently stated that Aryna Sabalenka was 'emotionally the best' during her title win at the 2024 Australian Open.

Sabalenka won her second Grand Slam on Saturday, successfully defending her title at the Melbourne Major. She defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the championship match, thus achieving the rare feat of winning a Slam without dropping a single set. The last player to achieve the feat at the Australian Open was Serena Williams, back in 2007.

Lindsay Davenport said on 'Tennis Channel Live' that she earlier had concerns about Aryna Sabalenka's performance. Davenport's apprehension stemmed from Sabalenka's performances at the last three Grand Slams; she faced defeat in the 2023 French Open semifinals against Karolina Muchova, succumbed to Ons Jabeur in the semifinals at Wimbledon, and fell short against Coco Gauff in the US Open final.

"We were curious if she was going to be able to keep it together in this entire tournament. You go back, yes, she won the Australian Open, semi-finals of Roland Garros last year, up 5-2 in the third match point, and collapsed against [Karolina] Muchova. Up a set and a break in the semifinals of Wimbledon, lost to [Ons] Jabeur. Then we saw in that [US Open] final against Coco Gauff, really get rattled by the crowd. I was expecting that, possibly against Gauff, who was really challenging her late in that first set, " Davenport said (at 1:20).

Davenport went on to state, however, that there was something different about Aryna Sabalenka playing in Melbourne. She suggested that it could be attributed to the Belarusian's title victory in Australia last year or a fresh mindset following the off-season.

The three-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that Sabalenka was emotionally at her best, which significantly impacted her performance.

"But something was different about Sabalenka here—whether it was the confidence from winning here last year or just a new mindset coming off the off-season where you know she works so incredibly hard. She was ready emotionally. It's the best I’ve ever seen her. She was buttoned up; she was ready for the pressure moments when they did occur, and she didn't have to have many of them because she was playing so well," Davenport added (at 1:57).

Aryna Sabalenka on winning a Grand Slam: "Every time, the same pressure, the same expectations"

Aryna Sabalenka, following her win against Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Australian Open final, said she had believed winning the title last year would alleviate the pressure in this year's final. The World No. 2 then revealed that she soon realized this was not the case, as her desire to win remained unchanged.

"I actually felt after last year it's going to help me to be more free and don't care about things. But not really. You still feel the same. You still want it badly and you still working very hard for it, and you still have to show up and fight for it and show your best level," Aryna Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka added that she would be astonished to witness the legends of the game shedding tears upon winning a Slam, despite her previous belief that multiple Slam wins would diminish the value of winning compared to their first Grand Slam win. The Belarusian expressed that she now comprehends their emotions, as she experienced the same overwhelming feeling after her victory in the 2024 Australian Open.

"Before I was watching all these champions crying after each slam. I was, like, 'Come on, you've done it, like, 15 times. Why are you still crying?'" she added. "I feel like I understand why they still crying. Because every time, the same pressure, the same expectations. You want it same way. So it's always emotional. It's still the same, you know."