Aryna Sabalenka has struggled to find wins since her loss in the Australian Open final.
Sabalenka was incredibly frustrated after she saw her 20-match winning streak at the Australian Open come to an end at the hands of Madison Keys.
Despite suggesting that she had put the defeat behind her, Sabalenka lost her only match in Doha to Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The world number one returned to winning ways in Dubai, but Sabalenka lost to Clara Tauson in her subsequent match.
Having lost three of her last four matches, there have been a lot of questions surrounding what has been causing Sabalenka’s dip in form.
Andre Agassi gives his verdict on Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka
Prior to Indian Wells, Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka featured at an exhibition event called the MGM Slam, that took place in Las Vegas.
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi was also there, and prior to the match gave his verdict on both players.
When honing in on Sabalenka in particular, Agassi praised her power, but suggested that it may be better for her to reign it in a little.
There have also been recent questions over Sabalenka’s serve, with Agassi pinpointing the ball toss as something that has changed.
“I love watching them both play. I think they are both incredibly great ball strikers,” Agassi said about Sabalenka and Osaka. “They are both easy to root for watching them. One hides their emotions incredibly well, the other probably reveals them a little too much.
“Naomi’s backhand is such a solid, reliable shot in both directions. Forehand from centre of the court to the left side of the court is probably her biggest weapon. Defending her forehand is a little bit harder for her, when it comes to handling that shot.
“Aryna, the power she can hit the ball is remarkable. Backhand is very solid, forehand a bomb. I think she swings at it 100% and that is a great thing to watch but an unnecessary thing to do because her 85% would get even better direction and would be incredibly effective still.
“Her serve, she has changed her toss and put it down a lot, this year it looks like it has crept back up a bit. So I don’t know what is going on, I’ll check that out! But watching these two big hitters go at it is very fun.”
In contrast to her recent form on the WTA Tour, Sabalenka beat Osaka, 6-4 6-4, to win the exhibition event ahead of the sunshine double.
Could Aryna Sabalenka see a change in fortunate at Indian Wells?
Indian Wells has seen mixed results for Sabalenka over the years, with the Belarusian having a 67% win percentage in the first half of the sunshine double.
Sabalenka’s best result in California came in 2023, when she reached the final before losing to Elena Rybakina.
However, last year Sabalenka suffered an earlier exit after being beaten by American Emma Navarro in the fourth round.
| Year | Indian Wells Result |
| 2018 | Lost in the third round to Marketa Vondrousova, 6-2 6-2 |
| 2019 | Lost in the fourth round to Angelique Kerber (8), 6-1 4-6 6-4 |
| 2020 | No event held |
| 2021 | Did not play |
| 2022 | Lost in the second round to Jasmine Paolini, 2-6 6-3 6-3 |
| 2023 | Lost in the final to Elena Rybakina (10), 7-6(11) 6-4 |
| 2024 | Lost in the fourth round to Emma Navarro (23), 6-3 3-6 6-2 |
While the slow conditions at Indian Wells may not be Sabalenka’s favourite, her rival Iga Swiatek has won the title in two of the past three years.
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