Women's Health September 11, 2026 0 Comments

Inside Aryna Sabalenka’s Gritty Journey: The Hidden Physical Toll Behind Reaching a US Open Final Revealed

Ever wondered what it takes to keep a tennis star not just in the game—but absolutely dominating it? Aryna Sabalenka is hurtling towards her fourth consecutive US Open final, with the tantalizing prospect of claiming her third straight tournament win. On paper, her victory over world No. 3 Jessica Pegula looked like a walk in the park yesterday. But behind the scenes, her Whoop wearable tells a much juicier tale of grit, recovery, and raw physical demand. How did she manage to keep her body primed and poised through such a punishing schedule? Spoiler alert: it’s not just talent—it’s science, sleep, and some serious hustle. Let’s dive into the data and see how Aryna’s blending tech and tenacity to stay ahead of the pack—and what it might mean for anyone looking to level up their own fitness game. LEARN MORE

2 min read

Aryna Sabalenka is on her way to her fourth straight US Open final—and potentially third straight win of the entire tournament. While the tennis pro may have made her defeat of the no. 3-ranked player Jessica Pegula look easy yesterday, her Whoop data tells another story.

Women’s Health got a look at a few key data points from her wearable. Here’s what we learned.

Going into the match, Sabalenka was recovered and well-rested.

A major tennis tournament puts a lot of strain on your body. Sabalenka has played six games over three weeks against the world’s best players, so it’s safe to imagine that her recovery scores could be taking some major hits.

Luckily, that wasn’t the case heading into the semifinal against Pegula. Her recovery was at 81 percent—her highest of the tournament. At 81 percent, this recovery score put Sabalenka squarely into Whoop’s green zone, meaning she was ready to handle a strenuous day, per the company’s description. (We’d call an hour and 20 minutes of tennis a strenuous day!)

This score was also supported by her sleep performance from the night before at a nearly perfect 95 percent. (Yeah, we’re impressed.)

During the game, Sabalenka was fully tested.

Per her Whoop stats, Sabalenka went into the semifinal the most recovered she had been all tournament—and came out of it with some of the biggest challenges so far. Her max heart rate during the match? 196 beats per minute, which could be anywhere from 80 percent or more of her maximum heart rate. It was the tennis star’s highest of the tournament.

But, that’s not the only insight we have into her game. Whoop also measures what it calls “Strain,” which is basically its estimate of the cardiovascular and muscular demand from your day. The lowest strain a person can have is zero and the highest is 21. Sabalenka’s was 20.3, just slightly lower than her 20.5 score after she played Linda Noskova.

According to Whoop, that’s an all-out, exceptional effort that could take multiple days to recover from. She’s got just one more before she takes on Elena Rybakina in the final.

Tomorrow, Sabalenka will go for her third straight US Open win.

If it happens, she would be the first person to do a three-peat at the iconic tournament since Serena Williams in 2014.

While we don’t know exactly what Sabalenka is up to in order to recharge and recover in between matches this year, she previously told WH that breathing exercises and plenty of carbs and protein are two of her go-to strategies before, during, and after matches.

Wishing her a perfect sleep score and even better recovery one!

Shop WHOOP Bands

Olivia Luppino is an associate editor at Women’s Health. She spends most of her time interviewing expert sources about the latest fitness trends, nutrition tips, and practical advice for living a healthier life. Olivia previously wrote for New York Magazine’s The Cut, PS (formerly POPSUGAR), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests. She recently ran the New York City Marathon.