This year, though, that figure has dropped to 42 per cent. Or just one-third since her most recent title in Miami in late March. In other words, the problem is spiralling.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka still rarely loses in straight sets, but as soon as you push her close, she finds her inability to dominate you so annoying that she loses control of her own game. \u201cWhy am I not knocking this girl off the court?\u201d she seems to ask, with every petulant head-shake and puff of the cheeks. Against Rybakina, she reached such a pitch of frustration that she was barely competing by the end.<\/p>\n
Her team is all too familiar with the situation. \u201cThe fire that she has \u2026 someone\u2019s strength can sometimes be their biggest weakness as well, if it\u2019s not managed,\u201d acknowledged Jason Stacy, Sabalenka\u2019s performance coach, in an interview earlier this summer. On the evidence of Saturday\u2019s final, Stacy\u2019s management programme needs a significant overhaul.<\/p>\n