Beyond the trophy and the title, Aryna Sabalenka’s greatest takeaway from her US Open victory was a deep sense of personal pride in her own mental growth. “I’m super proud right now of myself,” she declared after her 6-3, 7-6 (3) win, highlighting her emotional control as the most satisfying aspect of her performance.
This pride is rooted in her past struggles. Sabalenka has been candid about her difficulties with managing emotions in high-stakes matches, with previous finals ending in tears of frustration. To come through a tense final, overcome a late-match wobble, and close it out with such composure was a massive personal breakthrough.
Her ability to “bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final,” as she put it, was the culmination of a season’s worth of hard work on her mental game. It was a victory not just of skill, but of character and resilience.
This profound sense of pride reveals a champion who is not just measuring success in titles, but in personal development. For Sabalenka, this win was a powerful confirmation that she has become the mentally tough player she has always strived to be.