Aryna Sabalenka is rapidly closing in on the year-end No.1 ranking following her back-to-back wins at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
The three-time Grand Slam champion has beaten both Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets at the year-end extravaganza where the champion will earn up to $5.15m in prize money if they remain undefeated. Sabalenka is now in a strong position to end the season at the top of the WTA rankings. She could secure the spot on Tuesday at the WTA Finals without playing.
Iga Swiatek, the other player in contention for claiming the year-end No.1 spot, must win all of her matches at the tournament to have a chance. However, even if the Pole wins her next match against Coco Gauff, Sabalenka could seal the top spot 24 hours later. She just needs to register one more win to secure the position regardless of how Swiatek performs.
“It’s tricky but we’re chasing number one, so I’m gonna just keep that in mind, and I want to go for all of the points possible,” Sabalenka said ahead of her final round-robin match.
“That’s my motivation right now.”
The 26-year-old believes she is better prepared to deal with the pressure of being the highest-ranked player on the Tour compared to the past. Since January, she has won four WTA titles, including the Australian Open and US Open. She was also runner-up at two WTA 1000 events and one WTA 500.
“I think I have a better understanding of my game, of my weapons, and how to manage my emotions.” Said Sabalenka.
“If I compare myself to two years or five years ago, it’s completely two different players.
“I would say that I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for that sort of pressure, for that expectation and all that stuff. And now, mentally, (which) I would say is the most important part, I’m more than ready.”
Sabalenka has been coached on the Tour since 2020 by Anton Dubrov who worked as her hitting partner before that. Unlike some of her peers, she has a fairly stable team who she has been working with for a long time.
“Looking back (to when she was) thinking about a tennis coach, I was not looking for big names because sometimes big names are just the big names,” she explained.
“I was looking for someone smart and someone who will always look for
something, and who’s gonna always search for stuff. Who’s open to talking to whoever and ready to receive any sort of advice.
“For me, it’s very important I can trust people and we can all come together to (achieve) the big result, which, which shows today that’s actually working.”
Sabalenka will play Elena Rybakina in her final group match at the WTA Finals. She has already qualified for the semi-finals.
