Aryna Sabalenka insists she does not think a bit about the enormous prize money she could pocket by winning the WTA Finals as the 27-year-old claims she is only focused on competing and achieving big things in the game.
The Belarusian tennis star was straight business during the WTA Finals group stage, beating Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff to win Group Stefanie Graf. By going 3-3 in the Round Robin, the world No. 1 put herself in a position to collect a maximum $5.2 million prize money in Riyadh.
After overcoming Gauff 7-6 (5) 6-2, Sabalenka was asked to address the prospect of winning such a large sum.
"No, I never think about these things when I'm playing matches. I just have a lot of love for this sport, and I enjoy competing. This prize, of course, is a great bonus to have, but my main priority is just to bring the best tennis, make sure people enjoy watching tennis... And that's it," the four-time Grand Slam champion claimed on Tennis Channel.
Sabalenka set for an Amanda Anisimova showdown
Sabalenka and Anisimova met in each of the last three Grand Slams. Now, they are set to square off once again - and once again on a big stage.
This year, Sabalenka beat Anisimova twice (French Open QF and US Open F), while the fourth-ranked American got the job done in their Wimbledon semifinal encounter. The Belarusian may have won two out of three matches against Anisimova this year but it is not a secret that the 24-year-old is one of the trickiest rivals for her - the American leads their head-to-head 6-4.
The experience is on Sabalenka's side going into the match as this will be her fourth consecutive WTA Finals semifinal, while Anisimova is making her debut at this stage.
