Aryna Sabalenka’s coach Anton Dubrov has labelled Novak Djokovic’s ability to perform when crowds are against him as the great Serb’s “unique trait.”
The Belarusian believes Sabalenka has developed this quality and declared the three-time major winner is striving to reach Djokovic‘s level in this area.
Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the US Open earlier this month to claim her third Grand Slam title.
The 26-year-old was up against a crowd firmly behind her American opponent and handled the occasion impressively to triumph at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
Sabalenka has admitted the crowd affected her in her three-set defeat to another American, Coco Gauff, in the title match at the 2023 US Open.
Following her 2024 US Open victory, Sabalenka spoke about dealing with facing Americans at the New York major.
“I would say that this year, I felt so much love from the crowd,” the world No 2 said. “Even though I was facing Americans, they still were supporting, cheering for me a little bit.
“I felt like last year there was kind of like close to zero on my side, and this year I felt a lot of support, even in the finals. I’m just super happy to feel so much love in New York.”