Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: "Why do you want to win a Porsche, Ms. Sabalenka?"
Aryna Sabalenka can finally win her first Porsche Tennis Grand Prix today - after two unsuccessful attempts. One thing is clear: no other player wants "their" Porsche as much as she does!
by Florian Goosman from Stuttgart
last edit: Apr 22, 2023, 08:57 pm
The colleague's question at the press conference was as amusing as it was logical: "Why does it mean so much to you to win a Porsche? I mean, you could certainly afford one."
The background: Aryna Sabalenka had already shaked the built Porsche over and over again in the previous year, pointing out in the on-court interviews how much she kept an eye on him when she played. And now, what was her answer?
"It's cooler to win it than to buy it," she said, laughing out loud. "I like things you get for free, you know."
In general, Sabalenka laughed a lot this week, the press rounds were the most relaxed with the 24-year-old. Sabalenka never seemed stressed and seemed to enjoy the activities that followed her actual work on the tennis court. Sabalenka was modest in other ways, too, talking about her visit to the supermarket because "that's all I needed: food and a hotel."
In her three matches she played great tennis for the most part, only friend Paula Badosa caused her problems - Sabalenka was behind set and break, but fought doggedly and cheered at the end.
She now wants to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the first time, after two finals in the past few years. In which it was always against the number 1 in the world - 2021 against Ashleigh Barty (Barty won 3:6, 6:0, 6:3), 2022 against Iga Swiatek (Swiatek won 6:2, 6:2).
Sabalenka with great support
So now it's back to Swiatek. You have to play aggressively and move well, said Sabalenka, who has a full box in the Porsche Arena - her friend is here, former ice hockey professional Konstantin Koltsov, who continues to work as a coach in ice hockey, but uses the season break to help Sabalenka accompany; then comes the coach; her hitting partner and his family - Sabalenka said she was good friends with his wife. The daughter of the two is also there, she, Sabalenka is godmother, "so I always call her my daughter."
All in all, she has "wonderful support here in Stuttgart", and that probably also applies to the spectators in the Porsche Arena, which Sabalenka also won over with her open on-court interviews.
Who laughs in the end at the end? Time will tell - it starts at 1 p.m.
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