Aryna Sabalenka refused to declare herself “the new Serena Williams” during a pre-tournament press conference in Rome. Sabalenka, the 2023Australian Openand Madrid Open champion, has a very big game that has been a key part of her great success in early 2023.

Williams, a former 23-time Grand Slam champion, was well-known for her power and strength on the court. During a Rome presser, Sabalenka was asked about “being the new Serena in terms of power play.” “I don’t know. I don’t think about that.

That sounds good, you know (smiling)? I don’t know. I’m not thinking about that. I’m not focusing on that. I’m just focusing on improving myself and getting better every day. Yeah, that’s it. I’m not really thinking about that. It sounds crazy and it sounds good to be really strong (smiling),” Sabalenka said, via Sportskeeda.

At the start of the 2023 season, Sabalenka accomplished her goal of becoming a Grand Slam champion. Now, Sabalenka has set her eyes on reaching the world No 1 spot for the first time in her career.

Iga Swiatek, who is currently the top-ranked player in the game, has 9625 points. Ranked at No 2, Sabalenka follows with 7881 points. “I’m doing everything I can to get closer not like to her but to my dream. I’m working really hard.

I’m trying to stay focused on every match, every tournament. That’s what I really want to do. When you have a target, if you have really big motivation, it’s not like easier, but you have a goal behind all those tough practices.

It’s easier to keep going. When it’s tough, you remind yourself why you’re doing it. It’s not like easy, but it’s really helping to stay strong and keep pushing yourself to the limits and keep improving yourself,” Sabalenka explained in Rome.