The Belarusian ace enjoyed a stellar 2024 as she won two Grand Slam titles and finished as the year-end world number one but is looking for improvement in all areas of her game as she begins her new campaign at the Brisbane International, which gets under way this weekend.

Sabalenka said: "There is so many things to improve.

"I'm not that good with maybe my game at the net in singles. There is a lot of things to improve in my touch game.

"Even my serve is not as good as I want it to be, so there is always [elements] to improve."

The tournament is preparation for Sabalenka's defence of her Australian Open crown next month and she hopes that the work she has done in the off-season pays off.

She said: "You work hard on lots of things in the pre-season.

"The first tournament before the major tournament is the one where you can try it out and see what's going to work well for you, and what's not.

"I have a lot of great memories from here and just can't wait to start playing."

Sabalenka is bidding for her third straight title in Melbourne and hopes to add to her success in a country where she loves competing.

She said: "I love Australia and I always come here hungry and always come here ready.

"I feel all the support here, and I think that's the best thing about Australia, that people are really, really, into tennis."