First Ball Forehand

Aryna Sabalenka got a super deserved milestone

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Aryna Sabalenka will close the year as WTA No.1: a well-deserved milestone, given what we saw in 2024, for the Belarusian who put an end to two years of (almost) unchallenged domination of the WTA ranking by Iga Swiatek. A few weeks ago, thanks to the change of coach by the Polish player and her absence from the women’s Tour after the US Open, at the same time as the excellent results of the Belarusian, the throne of women’s tennis passed from Aryna’s hands.

Both engaged in the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the 5-time Slam champion saw her last chances of regaining the 1st position slip away definitively already in the Saudi tournament. The defeat in the Round Robin against Coco Gauff was fatal, which complicates the path of the 23-year-old Polish player in terms of qualification for the semi-finals. Swiatek’s gap from Sabalenka is 1246 points, with another 1100 points available if she wins the competition. Even if the Polish player wins, Iga will have to settle for finishing the season in second place, after having dominated far and wide throughout the year and outpaced her opponents by almost 4000 points.

Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka© WTA Finals Riyadh/X – Fair Use

 

For the Belarusian tennis player, winner of the Australian Open and the US Open this year, there are nine weeks as world number one in her career, all between the end of 2023 and the end of 2024. A record that will be extended in the coming months, given that for the first time in her career the 3-time Slam champion will end the season at the top of the rankings. The 26-year-old from Minsk has already qualified for the semifinals of the WTA Finals after two wins in as many matches and will be hunting for her first success at the Masters at the end of the year, which would allow her to further extend her lead over her Polish rival in the rankings.

Recently, Aryna spoke in an interview with Arab News, explaining: “I think it’s very positive that there is this rivalry, it’s very competitive. I really like it because it’s something that pushes me to improve every day, it motivates you to improve mentally and physically. Sport is like that. It would be very boring and uninteresting for the people watching and for us who play if there wasn’t so much equality. I always wanted to dominate the circuit like Serena did back then, like Iga did for a long time. She’s still very close, everything will be decided after the WTA Finals, so who knows? It’s a very exciting thing and obviously I want to dominate like they did. I’m trying to focus on myself, improve and make sure I have the tools necessary to dominate.”

Finally, regarding the prize money that will be assured to the female participants of this tournament, exactly the same as that of their male colleagues equal to $15 million, Sabalenka said: “It’s crazy. I think we all deserve it, we have worked as hard as them. We make a lot of sacrifices, even more than the men, and we deserve it.”

During the media day of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the Belarusian analyzed: “All season I have said that my main goal is to finish the season as the best on the planet. I will do everything I can to make that happen. I know that every match will be extremely demanding and I am ready to give my best and put up great battles. It was a surprise for me to see, a few weeks ago, that I was back at number 1 and now what I want most is to finish there. I think I had a great year and I worked hard to get there. Riyadh? It is a much faster surface than the Chinese one and the balls are also lighter. I think that works in my favor. It is very fun to hit drop shots. If you had told me five years ago that I would have this shot in my repertoire, I would not have believed it, because I do not have a great hand. However, I have managed to incorporate it and I think I do a lot of damage because it gives me more control over the opponent, making him hesitate. I have gained the confidence to do it in a match where I had physical problems and had to reduce the rallies. From that moment on, I played it with more sense and effectiveness, it’s almost a natural shot. I have no problem playing here in Saudi Arabia, I think it’s important to bring tennis to as many places as possible in the world and inspire young people. In Saudi Arabia they are making a great effort to promote women’s tennis and improve women’s lives. I’m very happy to be part of something that could be historic.”

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