WTA : Sabalenka 'more ready' for second stint at the top

This year, heading into the season-ending championships in Riyadh, Sabalenka leapfrogged Swiatek after the Pole dropped more points then her due to penalties related to missing mandatory tournaments.

Sabalenka had no idea she would return to the top of the rankings in that manner and said she preferred to earn her No.1 position in a more convincing way.

“As I always say, I want to finish the year as world No.1, then I'll be okay, I'll be more confident in saying I'm world No.1, not because someone lost 100 points and that's how I became world No.1,” Sabalenka told reporters in Riyadh last Friday.

“I know throughout the year I was pushing, winning a lot. It's not like I didn't do anything. I was quite good, quite decent this year. But still for me, for my crazy mind, it would be better to finish the year as world No.1.”

The 26-year-old got her wish as she officially secured the year-end No.1 ranking after Swiatek lost to Coco Gauff during the group stage at the WTA Finals this week.

Sabalenka, who advanced to Friday’s semi-finals in Riyadh with two wins and one loss in Purple Group action, has had far more than just a “decent” year.

She successfully defended her Australian Open crown at the start of 2024 and closed out the Grand Slam season by clinching the US Open title.

She also won trophies at the WTA 1000 events in Cincinnati and Wuhan and leads the tour with 40 hard-court match-wins this campaign.

Sabalenka is back at the summit, despite missing Wimbledon this year with a shoulder injury, and she feels she is much better prepared for her reign this time around.

“I think I have a better understanding of my game, of my weapons and how to manage my emotions,” said Sabalenka this week in Saudi Arabia.

“If I compare myself to like, two years back, or like five years ago, it's completely two different players. And I would say that I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for that sort of pressure, for those expectations and all that stuff.

“And now, given I went through a lot, I think mentally, which is the most important part, is I'm more than ready.”

‘A more complete player’

All the improvements Sabalenka has made this season, both technically and mentally, have not gone unnoticed by her peers.

Jessica Pegula, who fell to Sabalenka in the Cincinnati and US Open finals this summer, believes the world No.1 has set a new standard for the rest of the players to strive for.

“I've been so impressed by Aryna this year,” said the American world No.6.

“Obviously, Iga has pushed us to be better. Now she's kind of stepped it up and showing, ‘Hey, now I'm pushing everybody else to be better’. And I just feel like she's gotten a lot better.

“She's become such a more complete player. It seems like, mentally, she's just dialled in and has figured it out. Her serve, which used to be her biggest liability at times, is now her best weapon on court.

“So I think it's motivating, and it's inspiring, in a way, to see how much better she's gotten. I really have a lot of respect for the year that she's had.”

Chinese Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen has lost to Sabalenka four times this season, including two finals at the Australian Open and Wuhan. She also fell to Sabalenka in the US Open quarter-finals in September.

Those defeats have fuelled the 22-year-old’s desire to return the favour one day.

“She won two Slams this year, this is really big achievement for her. I believe so,” said Zheng of Sabalenka.

“I remember last year, she won her first Grand Slam in the Australian Open. And then she kept going, kept working. But you know, both Slams that she won this year, I lost against her on the way. Which means if I want to win one, I have to be able to beat her. And I'm quite excited for that day.”

After missing Wimbledon and the Olympics during the summer, Sabalenka went on a 15-match winning streak from Cincinnati onward, and she enters Friday’s semi-finals in Riyadh having won 22 of her last 24 matches.

'An unbelievable fighter'

World No.4 Jasmine Paolini, who lost a close match to Sabalenka this week during the group stage at the WTA Finals, has been impressed by her opponent’s consistency.

“She didn't play Wimbledon, no? So it's impressive, yeah, I think the end of the season, she played amazing. She won so many matches. She's an unbelievable fighter, so she deserves it, for sure, so I wish good luck to her,” said the Italian, who was a finalist at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon this year.

WTA Finals tournament director and former world No.1 Garbine Muguruza described Sabalenka as “a hell of a player, great personality, she’s so natural, she shows you her emotions”.

Those emotions may have slightly come into play this week after Sabalenka found out she had sealed the year-end No.1 ranking on the eve of her last round-robin match against Elena Rybakina.

Sabalenka lost that match, but it didn’t affect her advancement to the semi-finals in Riyadh as the group winner.

“That's (securing the year-end No.1 is) a really a great feeling but you know what? I figured that last night, and it didn't work really well tonight for me,” said Sabalenka after her loss to Rybakina.

“So I just want to focus on the current tournament, and just to stay hungry and stay motivated, because it's a big tournament, and it's also one of my goals. So I'll focus on this goal.”

Holding off on celebrations for just a couple of more days is a small price to pay given there is a prestigious trophy on the line for Sabalenka at the WTA Finals this weekend.

Win or lose in Riyadh, Sabalenka has earned herself one big party and a much-deserved vacation!