Aryna Sabalenka pushes back on 'parties and fun' claim after emphatic second-round win

[p]The Belarusian, who had faced a ‌similar line of questioning after her first-round win, fired ‌back that her off-court appearances had not come at the ‌expense of her preparations for the Grand Slam.[/p][p][b]"You guys ‌are, like, a joke. Parties, fun... like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? What kind ‌of question is that?"[/b] the world number ⁠one said.[/p][p][b]"Just because I ‌posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I've ​been partying, not training?"[/b] she added, cutting the exchange short.[/p][embed guid="dc32da84-a5e0-4f6e-a62e-a6de45b246b8" url="https://x.com/josemorgado/status/2095342137764102233" social-type="twitter" /][p]Turning to her performance on Wednesday, the ​four-time Grand Slam winner said she was pleased with both her level and her focus after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/iatcenko-p-ADlgOFQL/sabalenka-a-vyhksgUB/?mid=6o4LWPkt"]another dominant performance[/a] ⁠at Arthur Ashe Stadium.[/p][p][b]"I've ​been working really hard, but I feel like I'm kind of moving away from trying to be perfect on court,"[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Sabalenka[/a] said. [b]"I know that you cannot be perfect, and I'm ‌just trying to work with what I have right now."[/b][/p][p]Sabalenka will continue her search for a third straight title in New York and avoid ending the year without a major, as she tries to recover her best form after not winning a title since claiming the Miami Open in March.[/p][p][b]"I think I struggled a little bit in the middle of the season. Once again, I'm not ‌going to defend myself or explain why, what happened, but ​I'm happy with my level,"[/b] the 28-year-old said.[/p][p][b]"I can ‌definitely say that mentally I'm way stronger than I was in the middle of the season, and physically I also feel stronger. I feel like I'm on my level of play, and I just want ⁠to bring the right ⁠focus on the match ‌every time."[/b][/p][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]