Aryna Sabalenka told she is now doing something better than male players, ‘I’m not afraid to say it’

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Aryna Sabalenka has enjoyed a strong season in 2025 and looks set to finish the year ranked number one in the world.

The Belarusian star contested three Grand Slam finals this year, at the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open.

Coming up short in her first two, Sabalenka finally added to her major tally earlier this month, defeating Amanda Anisimova in the US Open final.

Yet to return to the WTA Tour, Sabalenka has skipped this week’s China Open with an injury, but is expected to return in Wuhan, where she is the defending champion.

Ahead of her title defence in Wuhan, Sabalenka has been told what she is currently doing, which is better than some players on the ATP Tour.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov says Aryna Sabalenka is serving better than some men

During an interview on the ‘First&Red’ YouTube channel, former world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov was asked whether Sabalenka’s rival, Iga Swiatek, plays ‘men’s tennis’.

“I can tell you what I’ve seen for the last two or three years, her opponents allowed her to play this tennis,” he said.

“But they didn’t hit as powerfully as Aryna [Sabalenka] does.

“When Sabalenka comes out against [Iga] Swiatek, it’s a completely different story to what we see happen with Swiatek against other opponents before, where she dictated the style of play, she dictated the power of the shots, and now everything is going the other way.

“Aryna holds her serve without too much effort.”

Kafelnikov thinks Sabalenka has one of the best serves in tennis, not just on the WTA Tour…

“She serves… I’m not afraid to say it, more powerfully than some men,” he said.

Serving as well as she has, Sabalenka has begun to turn the tide in her rivalry with Swiatek.

Having lost four of their first five meetings, Sabalenka now trails 8-5 in the head-to-head.

She’s also won their previous two matches, including a big win at the French Open earlier this year.

Knocking Swiatek out in the semifinals, Sabalenka became the first player to beat the Pole at Roland Garros in 1,457 days.

It remains to be seen whether the pair will meet again in 2025, but it will certainly be something to look out for.

‘Aryna Sabalenka is far ahead of everyone’ – Yevgeny Kafelnikov

Impressed with the Belarusian’s 2025 campaign, Kafelnikov gave his verdict on Sabalenka’s closest rivals.

“Sabalenka is far ahead of everyone. Neither Elena Rybakina, nor Iga Swiatek, nor Amanda Anisimova, nor Coco Gauff can compete with her. She’s surpassed them all,” he said.

“But when you see how she trains, it’s normal.

“She is the best in the world without any argument.”

Kafelnikov believes Sabalenka is the best in the world by some distance, but do the rankings agree?

Top ten in the WTA Rankings

• 1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,225 points
• 2. Iga Swiatek – 8,433 points
• 3. Coco Gauff – 7,873 points
• 4. Amanda Anisimova – 5,109 points
• 5. Mirra Andreeva – 4,793 points
• 6. Madison Keys – 4,579 points
• 7. Jessica Pegula – 4,383 points
• 8. Jasmine Paolini – 4,006 points
• 9. Qinwen Zheng – 4,003 points
• 10. Elena Rybakina – 3,833 points

Sabalenka currently leads her closest rival, Swiatek, by 2,792 points in the rankings.

She does, however, have more points to defend than the Pole between now and the end of the year, giving Swiatek a chance to close the gap.

1,000 of those points will be on the line in Wuhan next month, when Sabalenka returns to WTA Tour action on Monday, October 6.