No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka shrugs off her recent struggles as she seeks a third straight US Open title

Aryna Sabalenka, the world's top-ranked women's tennis player, has been struggling with her game recently. Despite her recent fashion photos on Instagram and lounging in bikinis, her performance on the court has been poor. She hasn't advanced past the fourth round in several tournaments and is far from winning three consecutive U.S. Open titles, a feat last achieved by Serena Williams from 2012-2014.

When questioned about her struggles, Sabalenka appears defiant, suggesting there might be an issue with people's perception of her game. She dismisses criticism about her black mesh-covered outfit on the court and emphasizes her love for it. Sabalenka's season began promisingly with losses in the Australian Open final and victories at Indian Wells and Miami.

Even after being eliminated in the fourth round at Wimbledon, expectations were that she would recover quickly in North America, where her powerful play is particularly effective.

However, she was upset by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round in Toronto and failed to convert leads in both sets, leading to her exit in Cincinnati. Sabalenka hasn't pinpointed the exact cause of her problems but indicated that something is amiss.