'My dream is to inspire people,' says Aryna Sabalenka on January cover of Harper’s Bazaar Australia

Two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is the latest WTA star to be featured on the cover of *Harper’s Bazaar* in Australia.

Ahead of a return to Melbourne, the world No. 1 reflects on the sacrifices she made to get to "the top of the world," and how she counted herself out of the running more than once.

“It took me a lot to get where I am right now, and I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices,” Sabalenka says in an interview with Tracey Holmes.

“It has definitely taken a lot of hard work, and it’s a long process. It’s not something that happens just by one click.”

“A time that comes to mind where I had to show my resilience and where I was really close to saying, ‘OK, I’m done’, was two or three years ago when I was double-faulting non-stop and everything seemed to be going wrong,” she added.

“I was thinking to myself, 'OK, it’s time for me to give up and to quit … it’s time for me to retire. But then I realized I have so much love for the sport and there are so many things behind the scenes that I just couldn’t give up. I had to stay strong and try one more time, try something else to figure out my problem, and I think that was the turning point for me in my career.”

Now as an established champion, Sabalenka isn’t taking her life for granted. On the contrary, she’s found a way to balance the competitive drive with her off-court well-being, a key ingredient in her rise to dominance on the tour.

“The higher you rank, the more responsibilities [you have],” Sabalenka said. “At the end of the day, I decide what I stand for and there is no pressure for me … If I feel like standing for something, I will do it. I always am honest and true to myself.

“You have to keep reminding yourself that you’re strong enough. You do not necessarily have to be tough on yourself, and you don’t have to cry, but you have to understand that whatever you’re going through, you just have to go through it.”

But Sabalenka doesn't just have tennis-related dreams. A champion on court, she hopes to also be a shining example off of it.

“My dream is to inspire people, to be a fighter and to be an example of not giving up and going through whatever life throws at me,” she said.

“If someone can look at me and think, ‘She did it, and she was strong, and I just have to do the same and I can go through it,' I’ll be really happy.”

Sabalenka's issue is available now, and fans can read the full interview **by clicking here**.