Top 5 Best Quotes of 2024, No. 4: Aryna Sabalenka shares sisterhood moment with Coco Gauff in Wuhan

No. 4 Well, girl, I feel you. I feel you like nobody else.

As Aryna Sabalenka has gotten more settled atop the women’s game, the world No. 1 has taken on her share of extracurricular activities, becoming a rogue social media coordinator on behalf of her fellow players and lending a sympathetic ear to friends in need.

Read more: Sabalenka speaks on biomechanic improvements in Wuhan

She took on the latter role in press after surviving a three-set thriller against Coco Gauff, a match marred only by Gauff’s painful serving woes.

Gauff led Sabalenka by set and a break before the yips that have haunted her on and off throughout her career came back in a big way, resulting in 21 double faults that turned the match back towards the eventual champion. By comparison, Sabalenka only struck two.

I know what she's going through. This is really difficult. This is really tough. But I know that if she'll be able to overcome this serve situation, she already one of the best players. Aryna Sabalenka on Coco Gauff

But few can relate to what Gauff was going through quite like Sabalenka, who struggled so mightily with her delivery that she was reduced to under-arm attempts as recently as the 2022 Australian summer swing. It took working with biomechanic coach Gavin MacMillan to finally fix the issues with her delivery and turn her career around. Still, Sabalenka, who shared a warm hug with Gauff at net, was sympathetic to her rivals continued struggle in press.

“I was playing that match thinking, like, ‘Well, girl, I feel you,’” she said after the 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback. “’I feel you like nobody else.’

“I know what she's going through,” she added later. “This is really difficult. This is really tough. But I know that if she'll be able to overcome this serve situation, she already one of the best players, but I'm pretty sure she's going to be one of the greatest players.”

Gauff indeed overcame the situation only a few weeks later—ironically at Sabalenka’s expense—by avenging the Wuhan loss en route to winning the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh. That day, the former US Open champ cut her double faults down from 21 to 2, setting the stage for what should be one of the more intriguing rivalries heading into 2025.