Aryna Sabalenka reveals desire to be seen as "an example" after overcoming "tough battles" in life

Aryna Sabalenka recently expressed her desire to serve as "an example" of hope for those facing "tough battles" and adversity. Sabalenka made these comments following her victory in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open.

Sabaleka is the double defending champion at the Melbourne Major, having won the title in 2023 by besting Elena Rybakina in the final. She then successfully defended her title in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen in the championship match.

This year, the Belarusian is the top seed at the Grand Slam tournament, and she commenced her title defense with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over Sloane Stephens in the first round.

Sabalenka then registered a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round. She then triumphed over Clara Tauson 7-6(5), 6-4, and 14th seed Mirra Andreeca 6-1, 6-2 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

During her post-match on-court interview following her win over Andreeva, Aryna Sabalenka was asked about being a source of inspiration for people worldwide. In response, Sabalenka expressed that she has always wanted to inspire the next generation. She said that her goal is to be recognized as a "good fighter" and "hard worker."

“I think all my life I wanted to be an inspiration for the next generation. I want to be a good example of a hard worker and of a fighter, I want to inspire. I don't know, maybe not the next generation, but help people go through tough moments,” Sabalenka said.

The World No. 1 also said that she wishes to set a positive example for people and be an example that they can overcome any challenges life presents.

“I hope they look at me, they see my example, and they know how tough I had to battle some of the challenges and I went through it. I hope they are going to take this as a good example and they are gonna go through their challenges,” she added

Before beginning her campaign at the 2025 Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka competed at the Brisbane International, where she won the title by defeating Polina Kudermetova in the final.

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Aryna Sabalenka will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Australian Open 2025 QF

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Aryna Sabalenka will face off against 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open. Pavlyuchenkova has reached the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tournament four times in her career—in 2017, 2019, 2020, and now in 2025.

This year, Pavlyuchenkova kicked off her campaign at the Melbourne Major by defeating Yuan Yue 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the first round, followed by a victory over Anastasia Potapova 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-2 in the second round.

She then went on to beat Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2, and 18th seed Donna Vekic 7-6(0), 6-0 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, securing her spot in the quarterfinals against Sabalenka.

Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have met three times on the WTA Tour, with the Russian emerging victorious in two of those matches. Their most recent encounter was in the third round of the 2021 French Open, where Pavlyuchenkova won 6-4, 2-6, 6-0. The former World No. 11 went on to finish as the runner-up at Roland Garros, falling short of securing the title against Barbora Krejcikova in the final.

The winner of the upcoming match between Aryna Sabalenka and Pavlyuchenkova will advance to face either third seed Coco Gauff or 11th seed Paula Badosa in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open.