Australian Open 2025 LIVE updates: Tomljanovic, Thompson lead Aussies on day four; Sabalenka, Gauff, Djokovic, Alcaraz in action

Sabalenka is due to start her second-round match at 11.30am.

Dual Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka found out how mentally tough she was last year.

The Belarusian star, who was unable to play under her country’s flag because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, found out in March that her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov had died from what police described as “apparent suicide”.

Days later, she stepped onto the court in Miami to compete.

“Honestly, I don’t know how [I continued to play]. My team got a bit nervous after the last situation [with my ex-boyfriend], and they hired a psychologist,” Sabalenka said.

“When I spoke to him, he was like, ‘How did you handle so many dramas in your life?’ and at that moment, I realised, ‘OK, I don’t need the psychologist. I can handle it by myself’.

“I think, first of all, you cannot control others. You can only control yourself, your behaviour, and your attitude to things, and you just have to focus on the positives.”

Sabalenka believes those significant challenges improved her as a player and person, a journey she said was ongoing.

This year, Sabalenka will bid to become the first woman since Swiss great Martina Hingis in 1999 to win the Australian Open three straight times.

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