Aryna Sabalenka has come a long way since 2022 to become the best player on the WTA Tour.
Sabalenka won the Miami Open for the first time in her career last week, after beating Jessica Pegula in the final.
The first set against the American was particularly tight, with Sabalenka showcasing the difference between herself and Pegula in the important moments.
After the match, Pegula noticed an improvement in Sabalenka which is similar to what Martina Navratilova had requested her to do three years ago.
What Martina Navratilova said Aryna Sabalenka needed to improve in 2022
After the 2021 season came to a conclusion, Sabalenka was the world number two ranked behind the now retired Ash Barty.
At this point in her career, Sabalenka had reached two Grand Slam semi-finals and Navratilova wanted the Belarusian to focus on two things in particular.
“I would work on her movement forward,” Navratilova told the WTA Tour. “With her power, she’s so good at getting those short balls, but she’s still uncomfortable hitting those short balls. She needs a bigger court, because she doesn’t have enough margin.
“So work on those balls that are inside the baseline. Most of all, control the temper better. You cannot let your head get in the way.”
The 2022 season was a very mixed one for Sabalenka, who admittedly nearly quit the sport after suffering serving woes that saw her hit more double faults than anyone else that year.
While it is still not a perfect area of her game, Sabalenka has tidied her serve up as well as reigning in the unforced errors like Navratilova had wanted.
Although Sabalenka was impressive in her Miami Open victory, she still hit 36 unforced errors, but also managed 31 winners.
The other thing that Navratilova called for was to try and improve her mindset, which was a particular problem during her service woes in 2022.
While the belief is certainly there for the world number one in 2025, Sabalenka does still express her frustration which she is sometimes criticized for.
One of the biggest improvements that Sabalenka has made in recent months is her added variety that has created a new dimension to her power game.
What Martina Navratilova said Iga Swiatek needed to do in 2022
Navratilova said what she wanted all of the top 10 WTA players at the time to improve, including the then world number nine Iga Swiatek.
At the time Swiatek had won one Grand Slam title, but only won two WTA titles in 2021 and had not surpassed the quarter-finals of a major tournament.
It appeared that Navratilova had full belief in Swiatek, and just wanted her to have the same belief in her game that won the 2020 Roland Garros title.
“It’s really just a matter of believing in herself,” said Navratilova. “She looked so confident when she won the French Open. You get the impression she feels like it was an accident – and it wasn’t an accident. The sliced backhand; it doesn’t bite, it just sits up there.”
Just months after Navratilova made these comments, Swiatek rose to the occasion and became world number one.
This included going on a record 37-match winning streak and winning her second major title at Roland Garros.
Swiatek now has four Roland Garros titles and one US Open, with Navratilova part of the presentation at her latest major win.
However, she has since dropped down to world number two after being overtaken by Sabalenka, and appears to be having a crisis of confidence.
Swiatek has recently spoken about her concerns, that she has admitted have been impacted since receiving a one month anti-doping ban last year.
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