Aryna Sabalenka said on Friday she felt “really great” heading into the defence of her Australian Open title, with a hard grind during the pre-season making her “as ready as I can be”. 

The 25-year-old Belarusian had a breakthrough 2023 in which she claimed a maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne, beating Elena Rybakina in the final. She also finished runner-up at the US Open and made the semi-finals of Wimbledon and Roland Garros on her way to becoming World No. 1.