Aryna Sabalenka urged to follow Iga Swiatek’s lead after Australian Open setback

Former British number one Rusedski believes Sabalenka could benefit from the guidance of a sports psychologist to help her manage high-pressure situations during matches.

He drew comparisons with Iga Swiatek, who has credited much of her mental strength to working with Daria Abramowicz since 2019.

Speaking on the ‘Off Court with Greg’ podcast, Rusedski said: “Part of me is thinking does she [Sabalenka] need a sports psychologist?

“[Iga] Swiatek talks about her sports psychologist being so important. I don’t know if she is working with somebody who can get into her mind to play with that freedom that she does throughout the whole tournament [in finals].

“Expectation and pressure. When you expect to win, bad things happen. You have to play with freedom and be fearless. At the moment, you have to have rituals where you can go to, to slow yourself down and get in the present and execute.

“Even if you miss, who cares? Fortune favours the brave. And if she is braver and can get over that hump then she can win multiple Slams and get to double digits. She is that good.”

Iga Swiatek has often spoken about how Abramowicz’s support has shaped her mental approach.

In a 2022 interview with Barbara Schett for Eurosport, she explained: “It’s pretty hard to know [how I’m developing psychologically] that because since my psychologist is travelling with me.

“We talk over lunch so it’s hard to say but it is always important for me, and I’m happy that I have a person that I can talk to and that when I have some doubts, I can really you know look for another opinion and a person who’s going to remind me sometimes where my strengths are.

“So I feel as though it all comes together and really clicks on court and that’s the most important thing for me.”

Aryna Sabalenka and her experience with sports psychology

Sabalenka has opened up about her previous experiences working with a sports psychologist, a topic she discussed during a 2025 interview with Jay Shetty.

She parted ways with her psychologist ahead of the 2023 season, just before claiming her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

“I worked with a sports psychologist for four or five years. We did some sort of meditation,” the 27-year-old Belarusian began by saying.

“We did a lot of things at the beginning of my career, but then I found that I was relying on her so much. I was expecting her to fix my problems, my emotions, and I was repeating the same mistake over and over again.

“I was getting upset about that, so at some point I decided, ‘OK, I have to take responsibility over my actions.’

“I stopped working with the psychologist, and that was the moment I started learning about myself, when I actually understood myself better.

“I started to control my emotions much better, and it felt more balanced when I took that responsibility.”