Aryna Sabalenka has sent a message to her Wimbledon rivals after surviving a huge scare against Laura Siegemund. The 37-year-old German troubled the world No. 1 with her clever slices and net game, but Sabalenka rallied to win five of the last six games, coming through 4-6 6-2 6-4.
And the three-time Major winner - who has never reached the final here - has now told the rest of the field that they won't be able to touch her if she was able to weather the Siegemund storm.
Siegemund is a crafty player on the court, but she's also known for slowing down play with some other antics, whether it's taking her time at her bench or running down the shot clock.
But Sabalenka knew exactly what she was dealing with and said: "I think I was really well-prepared for her game, for the way she's taking time and everything. I was really mentally prepared for that.
"But of course, inside I was struggling because she was playing really smart game. At the beginning I was missing a lot. I felt like I was rushing. So I'm really glad that after the first set, I was able to kind of like reset a little bit and change my tactic a little bit and get the win.
"I think after the second set, like after the middle of the second set, I started feeling my game better, and I had better understanding of what should I do to get the win."
As for the world No. 104's game style, Sabalenka now believes that nobody else will be able to bother her with their slice.
Laughing, she added: "But about her game, I wasn't really annoyed. What can I do? It was great play, smart play. Tough for my body to play against, but I managed.
"It was a great, I guess, fitness. Whoever is going to slice against me, I'm going to be like, 'Guys, I played against Laura, are you kidding me?'"
It wasn't easy for Sabalenka to maintain her composure, and she whacked the net with her racket early in the third set, but the three-time Grand Slam champion has learned to stay calm on the court following her crushing French Open final defeat to Coco Gauff last month.
"Honestly, I think there's a big possibility that I would have lose this match if I didn't learn that lesson at the French Open," Sabalenka said after beating Siegemund.
