"A win-win" - Chris Evert congratulates 'improved' Aryna Sabalenka on her Australian Open win and Zheng Qinwen on start of an 'incredible journey'

Chris Evert recently congratulated Aryna Sabalenka following her victory in the Australian Open and commended her enhanced gameplay. Evert also acknowledged Zheng Qinwen for her performance after she reached her first Grand Slam final.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday in the final of the 2024 Australian Open. This marked Sabalenka's second Grand Slam victory, having lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup last season as well.

A few hours after the match on Saturday, Chris Evert posted a congratulatory note for the victor on X (formerly Twitter). While congratulating Sabalenka, the American also noted that the 25-year-old had improved in discipline, fitness, and shotmaking as well as consistency. She also encouraged Zheng by stating that this is just the beginning of an incredible journey for the Chinese player.

“Congratulations @SabalenkaA and your team on winning your second @AustralianOpen showing improved discipline, fitness and shotmaking! (Oh,and consistency!🤷‍♀️) and #Qinwen ,you are just starting an incredible journey 👍👏. A win-win! 💃💪❤️” Evert wrote.

Sabalenka kicked off her Australian Open campaign by defeating Ella Seidel, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Lesia Tsurenko, and Amanda Anisimova in the first, second, third, and fourth rounds respectively. She defeated Barbora Krejčíková in the quarterfinal and overcame Coco Gauff in the semifinal before securing victory against Zheng Qinwen in the final.

On the other hand, Zheng Qinwen defeated Ashlyn Krueger, Katie Boulter, Wang Yafan, Océane Dodin, Anna Kalinskaya, and Dayana Yastremska en route to the final.

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"There was really a moment where I really didn't believe that I'm gonna win it one day" - Aryna Sabalenka on winning a Grand Slam

Sabalenka with the 2024 Australian Open trophy.

In the post-match interview following her victory in the Australian Open final on Saturday, Sabalenka opened up about her initial skepticism regarding winning a Grand Slam.

When questioned about her concerns before her triumph at the Australian Open last year, she reflected on a phase in her career when doubts crept in, specifically the challenges with her gameplay and how she grappled with fixing her serve.

“Well, of course there was really a moment where I really didn't believe that I'm gonna win it one day, especially those periods when I was serving double faults and couldn't fix my serve,” Aryna Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka acknowledged that she had faced challenges in her career but was determined to keep going. She expressed confidence that her late father would be proud of her resilience, attributing her family as a crucial source of motivation.

“There was a lot of ups and downs. But, you know, I just couldn't quit. You know, I felt like I just have to keep doing what I'm doing."

"I just have to keep fighting for my dream and make sure that if there is something, I want to believe there is something that my father is watching me and very proud of me. So I just couldn't stop for my family,” Sabalenka added.