Washington: Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is back in action at this week's WTA Washington Open after a month off due to a shoulder injury.
And the world number three is counting on her rivals to be as ready as they are at the Paris Olympics when the US Open starts on August 26.
“There's still a way to go at the US Open. I think they'll be ready,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe they'll take a break. They are going to play anything.
“Finally it was very important for me to take a little break. I had a really hard fight starting in March. It was very necessary. Mentally, I feel more fresh and ready to go. I will be ready.”
Sablenka reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2021 and 2022 and reached the final in New York last year, where she lost to American Coco Gough.
Sabalenka, the top seed in Washington, was ruled out of the Olympics after her homeland, Belarus, banned sending athletes to Paris over her support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sablenka wants to get back on the court to compete after a long rehab on her right shoulder.
“I'm here because I'm injured and I haven't played for a while,” Sabalenka said. “I felt I had to rebuild my confidence and get my level back before going into the US Open. So I have to play some games and that's why I'm here.
Sabalenka, who last played in Washington in 2017, was forced to withdraw from her quarterfinal match after suffering a shoulder injury in Berlin last month.
She later withdrew from Wimbledon, where she had reached the semi-finals in her previous two appearances.
She said, 'It was a very difficult decision because I was not out of the competition due to injury. “I was playing even though I was injured. I was still struggling, but was able to play. This was my first experience.
“But I decided to take care of my health, to do proper rehabilitation, to get stronger. So the recovery was very difficult because for two weeks I was rehabbing like a lot of exercises, a lot of treatments, a lot of recovery stuff.
Sabalenka, 26, was off the court for a week and a half to focus on her fitness.
She said, 'I felt like I had been working out all day. “It feels like it's actually time to switch off, but you're still working, still doing something. It was very difficult.
Sablenka worked in hot and humid Florida, which somewhat facilitated similar conditions in the US capital.
“I think I'm better prepared after Florida,” she said.
“Hopefully this injury will never bother me again and I will be able to play another Grand Slam, which is my favorite. I want to do well there.”
