Aryna Sabalenka has been far and away the standout player on the WTA Tour during 2025.
Although all four Grand Slam tournaments were won by different players, Sabalenka’s run as the number one player for the entire calendar year highlights her dominance.
Sabalenka recently broke a Serena Williams record, and with how she is going right now, more records will be broken by the sheer brilliance which comes from her racket.
Lindsay Davenport recently praised Sabalenka for her performances in 2025, and there are a number of factors that make her the dominant player currently playing on the WTA Tour.
Andy Roddick makes Aryna Sabalenka claim that’s not been made before
Sabalenka reached three of the four Grand Slam finals in 2025, winning the US Open but losing in the Australian Open to Madison Keys and the French Open to Coco Gauff.
She made the semifinal of Wimbledon before Amanda Anisimova ended her run, and it’s fair to say she is superb at turning up for the big tournaments.
Sabalenka has also won two WTA 1000 events during 2025, reaching a third final and Roddick isn’t sure there is a player remotely close to running her close this year.
He said on the Served podcast: “You look at the 59 match wins going in, it is a weird thing, because you look back at it and she is going to be judged against the greatest seasons in history and the greatest players in history.
“She has entered that conversation where the only way you can talk about her is amongst giants.
59 match wins is not going to be in the top 10 or 20 most match wins ever, but she has not been playing small tournaments. She is end-to-end number one, and she didn’t even play a 250. She played three 500’s, and she is having this level of consistency playing only 1000’s and Grand Slams.
“She is the most reliable player on Tour and I don’t know that there is a close second for 2025. I think this is the first time we have been able to say that.
“Iga has always been super consistent. Ash Barty, before that, was super consistent, then you are going back to Serena. It just speaks to another layer of progression, where it’s like, did I hit my top end as much as last year? Maybe not. But is my average Tuesday better than it’s ever been? Yeah, I think it is. I think that’s the progression of Sabalenka.”
Sabalenka told what her biggest strength is
Gauff could take heart from Sabalenka when it comes to her serve, not least because in 2022, she hit over 400 double faults in one year.
Now, she’s one of the most consistent servers on the tour, with her powerful frame making her incredibly tough to get off the court, especially when it comes to the big tournaments.
Roddick believes she has a better quality, however, in that she’s changed the perception of merely being someone who has a poor temperament to now being more mentally switched on.
He added: “I think she is a prime example of the observations about her game, where you become good enough, and people say ‘Why has she not won a Slam?’ There is inconsistency; she is maybe a bit of a hot head.
“Now she is a bit of a hot head but she is also the most consistent player we have on the women’s side of the game.
“McEnroe operated differently from Pete (Sampras). Monica Seles operated very differently from Serena Williams.
“I remember these tropes from the early 90’s, when dealing with mental toughness, is like you have to be calm, you always have to be positive, that is the only way.
“I think figures like Sabalenka are just flipping those on its head. It’s like you can be imperfect, as long as that leads to better more often.
“I think she has flipped it on its head and she is a great example of playing to your own strengths and not apologising for the way you are.
“After the French, she came out and owned it. We came on and said that was not great, it was beneath her. What did she say the next week? She said it’s not great, I don’t want to act like that.
“If someone comes on and owns it and calls Coco and confronts it personally. It doesn’t feel like a show with her. I think there is a level of authenticity that I have really, really grown to respect.”
Sabalenka will take some stopping next year too
At 27, Sabalenka is likely in her prime, and she will once again be a threat at the Grand Slam tournaments as she looks for more to add to the four she’s already claimed.
Roddick is right that Sabalenka deserves respect, and she has come a long way in the last couple of years after winning her first Grand Slam title in 2023.
The Miami resident is currently in search of glory at the WTA Finals, and she will be keen to add that crown to her collection for the first time in her career.
Competition is rife in the women’s game right now, but it’s fair to say that when she turns up at a tournament, Sabalenka is always the one to beat.
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