Aryna Sabalenka has made clear that she does not intend to suppress the emotions that have long defined her on court. The world No 1 said she will keep “scream”ing and “throw the racket” if it helps keep her inner aggression from “destroying me inside.”

Speaking to Andy Roddick on his podcast, Sabalenka explained that she once tried to model herself on a calmer approach. She experimented with breathing exercises and counting to 10, but said that effort to remain controlled left her feeling worse over time.

“I would say that at the beginning, I was really trying to follow in the steps,” she told Andy Roddick on his podcast. “Like doing the breathing exercises, like counting up to 10 or all the way around, and I was just trying to be like calm and in control.

“But what I figured, after like I don’t know how many years on tour, probably I spent too much time trying to be perfect, and that it was like really destroying inside of me, destroying myself inside.

“And I was just trying to figure it. ‘Okay, who am I?’ Like, should I be that way, or should I just sometimes, like, throw this racket, pay the fine but be free on court and feel like okay I’m ready to go.

“So I don’t have this aggression that was destroying me inside and I can just focus on the game and I just decided that well if I have to yell, if I have to scream, if I have to throw the racket, I will do it as long as it’s in control, as long as I’m not hurting anyone.”

Sabalenka said that approach has helped her, with the 28-year-old entering the US Open as the favourite to defend her crown. When asked about the pressure that comes with top-level tennis, she said she tries to “shift my focus on things that I can control.”

“I mean, I feel like at some point you just agreed to deal with that pressure all the time,” she said when reflecting on her choice of career. “So it just stays at the back of your mind and that’s it.

“You’re not trying to fight it. I feel like we’re all dealing with different sorts of pressure in our lives. It can be sport-related. It can be whatever related. It’s not necessary that it’s only in tennis, in sport, you’re dealing with pressure.

“So it’s just part of our lives, and I’m just trying to shift my focus on things that I can control and just trying to get better every day.”

Alex Eala’s climb in the WTA Rankings has been matched by a standout body of work against elite opposition. In 2026, the Filipina owns the second-best win percentage on the WTA Tour against top-10 players, underscoring how sharply her season has developed.

Eala began the year at No. 53 and has risen to a career-high No. 18 before the US Open. The jump has been driven in large part by her title run at the Washington DC Open in July, when she produced one of the most significant weeks of her season.

At that WTA 500 event, she beat world No. 10 Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, then followed with victories over No. 13 Naomi Osaka and No. 3 Jessica Pegula to capture her first WTA singles title.

Those wins over Svitolina and Pegula were her sixth and seventh against top-10 players this year. They lifted her 2026 record against the top 10 to 7-3, placing her second only to Aryna Sabalenka in win percentage for the season.

Eala’s other top-10 wins came against Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, Svitolina in Berlin, Elena Rybakina in Berlin, Coco Gauff at Indian Wells and Jasmine Paolini in Dubai. Her defeats against top-10 opposition came to Amanda Anisimova at the Cincinnati Open, Rybakina in Rome and Gauff in Dubai.

Her 70.0% mark against top-10 players this year also leaves her with a 9-5 career record in such matches. Sabalenka leads the list at 71.4% with a 5-2 record.

Eala is also joint-best for win percentage against top-five players in 2026, alongside Svitolina, Linda Noskova and Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Carlos Alcaraz has spoken openly about how much he has missed competitive tennis as he readies himself for a return at the 2026 US Open.

The Spanish star confirmed last week that he will come back from more than four months out with a right wrist injury to compete in New York. His most recent match came at the Barcelona Open in April, where he picked up the injury that forced him to miss both Roland Garros and Wimbledon this summer.

On Sunday, Alcaraz took to the practice courts at Flushing Meadows for the first time this year, working in front of spectators in Louis Armstrong Stadium. After the session, he gave a brief interview and said the return carried a deep emotional charge.

“After a couple of months recovering from my injury, I miss everything. I miss this place, I miss the crowd, I miss the ball kids,” said the 23-year-old.

He added that being back in New York felt like the right setting for his comeback. “I think I couldn’t have started at a better place than here, so I feel very grateful. I’m just happy.”

Alcaraz also acknowledged that entering a Grand Slam after such a long absence was not straightforward. “Yeah, I mean, it is a very special tournament for me. It’s a Grand Slam, best of five.

“So yeah, as I said, after more than four months, coming back at a Grand Slam wasn’t an easy decision, but I just tried to put everything to be ready for this tournament.”

The world No 3 is the defending US Open champion after beating Jannik Sinner in the 2025 final to claim his second title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

He is also scheduled to team up with Serena Williams in the US Open mixed doubles event, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The singles events at Flushing Meadows run from Sunday 30 August to Sunday 13 September.