Aryna Sabalenka Gets Honest on Taking Time Away From Tennis

The defending champion of the Brisbane International, Aryna Sabalenka, is coming closer to claiming the title once again, as she has reached the final round by defeating Karolína Muchová in the semifinal. The World No. 1 is beginning her 2026 season on a high note and has recently expressed how she treats herself mentally and physically during her offseason.

Aryna Sabalenka Reflects on Her Mental and Physical Reset During Her Offseason

Sabalenka is coming off a successful season, during which she clinched the US Open, as well as other singles titles, in Madrid and Miami. Apart from this, she also reached eight final rounds in multiple tournaments, including the Australian Open, the Indian Wells Masters, the Boss Open, the French Open, and others.

The Minsk native led a successful run to defend her title at Brisbane, during which she impressively defeated Cristina Bucșa, Sorana Cîrstea, and Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, Karolína Muchová in the semifinals, and will now face Marta Kostyuk in the final round.

During her post-match press conference, Sabalenka reflected on how she charges herself during her offseason and revealed that she doesn’t play any sport.

She mentioned, while highlighting that she still goes to the gym to keep herself in shape, “No, no, no, not at all, not even padel or whatever. No sport. Then I come back with, like, plus six kilos. I don’t care, I know mind. I’m know I’m going to do a lot of fitness so I’m going to lose that. But no sport. Okay, I was going to the gym, I’m not gonna lie, but I was just walking on the treadmill, I was enjoying my time in the gym, because it was so easy, and no tennis for two weeks.”

READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Marta Kostyuk Final Preview: Head-to-Head, Prediction for Brisbane International 2026

Sabalenka is set to clash against the 23-year-old Ukrainian star, who has made it to the finals after notably defeating Yulia Putintseva, World No. 3; Amanda Anisimova, the young Russian star Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinal, and Jessica Pegula, the World No. 6, in the semifinal round.

Kostyuk, the World No. 26, has faced the WTA elite four times during her career and has lost in all her matches. The duo last met in the previous season at the Rome, Italy, event, in the round of 16 and in the quarterfinal round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Their other two duels were at the 2023 French Open and in Dubai in the round of 32.