World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has incorporated elements of Novak Djokovic's return style into her game after receiving advice from the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Sabalenka revealed the change during an interview with First&Red. She described using a slight forward movement on returns to disrupt opponents' serve placements.
The Belarusian said the idea stemmed from a practice session with Djokovic at the All England Club ahead of last year's Wimbledon. She noted that Djokovic later joked about her copying him.
"So, that was the advice! Ever since then, he's been like, 'You're copying me.' Well, it's sort of like copying the best," Sabalenka said.
She added that the technique is similar but not identical to Djokovic's approach. Sabalenka is now focusing on hard-court events as she prepares to defend her US Open title.