'Never be happy with how I play,' Australian Open star Anna Blinkova rejects perfection, celebrating each shot as a triumph in her mental game on the court

While talking in a post-match press conference following her triumph over the Kazakhstani in a three-set thriller, Anna Blinkova reflected on her approach to the sport. Furthermore, she rejected perfection and remarked on her mental fortitude, which helped her stay calm in challenging moments. 

As per the tennis professional herself, she used to be a perfectionist and never really considered how good she played. However, with time, she worked on her mental strength, which ultimately helped her get calm and composed in tricky and frustrating situations on the court. 

Yeah, I used to be a perfectionist. I used to never be happy with how I play. For example, if I win the point not in the way that I want, not with a beautiful shot, I was not happy with that. Blinkova said to Melbourne Press.

For the uninitiated, Blinkova and Rybakina ran a marathon when they entered into a historic 42-point tiebreaker in the final set of their breathtaking contest.

Ultimately, the 25-year-old Russian concluded the 2022 Wimbledon champion’s run with a scoreline that read 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (20).

Any point that I win is a good point. Any shot that I put in the court is a good shot. That's what I tell myself. I've been doing a lot of mental work to not panic, to stay calm, to breathe, to not be frustrated after mistakes. I always tell myself that everybody does mistakes, it's normal. As soon as the intention is good, as soon as my intention is to put the ball in the court, that's a good shot. I just have to keep doing it. She further added

Anna Blinkova addresses her groundbreaking victory over Elena Rybakina in an on-court interview at the 2024 Australian Open

Russian tennis professional Anna Blinkova credited her thrilling second-round victory over Elena Rybakina to her “courage” during an on-court interview following her triumph.

If I have to say one word, I would say 'courage'. It took me a lot of courage. I was going for it. I was trying to find the balance between being aggressive and being solid, not rushing, but trying to make her play one more shot, one more shot. Said Blinkova via Melbourne Press.

The World No. 57 will take to court next Saturday, January 19, to make her third-round appearance against Jasmine Paolini at the 2024 Australian Open.