Aryna Sabalenka surprised herself by learning a shot she did not think would be part of her game.
The Belarusian is certainly one of the most improved players over the past few seasons and brings a more versatile and varied game to the court these days.
This has contributed to Sabalenka’s success over the past two seasons, in particular at Grand Slam level.
In 2024 Sabalenka upped her level and produced the best season of her career so far, and is now back in the World number one spot ahead of the WTA Finals.
Which shot did Aryna Sabalenka think she would not be capable of playing?
Aryna Sabalenka is known for her power and aggression from the baseline, in particular for the return of serve and early in rallies.
But in addition to her explosive power off the forehand and backhand, Sabalenka is becoming more dangerous with the drop shot.
Throughout the season the three-time Grand Slam winner has utilised the drop shot to great effect against many of her opponents. She disguises it brilliantly and it has worked to her advantage.
Asked by reporters about playing the dropshot ahead of the WTA Finals, Sabalenka said: “I mean, first of all, it’s quite fun making dropshots.
“Five years ago, if someone told me I would finally learn how to do this shot, I would laugh. I don’t have touch. I’m so bad at it. Now I have this shot in my pocket.
“I think it puts a lot of pressure on the opponent because now they know they have even more variation, that sometimes I just can use my touch and not over-hit the ball. I always make them guess what I’m going to do.
“It’s not, like, a special tactic. It’s when I feel like going for it. When I see the opponent is really far behind, I’m like, Okay, I’ll just make them move.
“So yeah, I’m really happy that finally, finally I learned this shot. I kind of have control, which is crazy to say, to be honest. Yeah, that’s just good to have, isn’t it for me? For me, not for my opponent.”
Aryna Sabalenka explains the process behind playing the drop shot
The drop shot shot is not played regularly by many players on the WTA Tour.
This is something that works to Sabalenka’s advantage and this shot combined with extreme power is a lethal combination.
While describing how the drop shot became a part of her game, Sabalenka says she initially struggled with implementing what she was doing with the drop shot in practice, into matches, until Sabalenka competed at the Italian Open in May against Elina Svitolina.
“Honestly, during practice, I always could do it without any problems, but I wasn’t really sure how and when to use it on the match,” she said.
“I remember playing against Svitolina in Rome. I’m like, Okay, I’m injured, I don’t know what to do. I’ll just go for dropshot. I don’t know why. I don’t know why it came to my head. I’ll just do it.
“I think after that match, I gained so much confidence on that shot. I was like, You know what, that’s probably working. I probably should use it more often. That’s how it became a more natural shot for me to use.”
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