Mary Joe Fernandez has told Aryna Sabalenka that she needs to figure out a key thing after losing yet another Grand Slam final.
The Belarusian has a torrid record when within touching distance of a title, not just at majors.
It’s a hugely alarming statistic for someone who is otherwise so dominant.
Her lead atop the WTA world rankings is huge, and her head-to-head record against most opponents is one-sided.
And yet, Elena Rybakina was able to engineer a late comeback in today’s Australian Open final, making it a second straight year where she has fallen short at the final hurdle.
Aryna Sabalenka told she must react after losing Australian Open final
Speaking live on ESPN after the match, Mary Joe Fernandez had some advice for Aryna Sabalenka.
But first, she showered her with praise for getting to this stage again, noting: “But that just shows you just how difficult it is to beat her. I mean, she’s getting to the finals so consistently. She’s not going anywhere.
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“She is still the player to beat, in my opinion. She has set the bar very high, and tonight Rybakina just matched her; she went one step further.
“Even though they both have the same amount of points in this final, which is incredible, but credit to Elena Rybakina. She’s back to where she belongs. She should be contending for all these big titles.
“I’m happy to see her healthy, happy, back at the top of the women’s game, and for Sabalenka… She’s got to find out why these finals have been an issue for her at times, because she has lost four of them.
“She could have won them, but she’s putting herself in the position time and time again.”
Chris Evert rated the state of women’s tennis after watching the final, and it’s fair to say that today’s finalists will be around the pinnacle for many more years to come.
Aryna Sabalenka’s worrying Grand Slam final record
For someone who is so clearly the best player in the world and so dominant over the vast majority of the WTA tour, it’s astounding how often Sabalenka fails to make her superiority pay.
After all, today’s defeat marked the fourth Grand Slam final she has lost now, having won the other four she’s competed in.
A 50% success rate on the biggest stage, for a player of her quality and power, is not indicative of her level.
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What’s even more frustrating is the fact that she arguably should have won all of the other three she competed in, having collapsed against Coco Gauff twice and failed to react against an in-form Madison Keys.
In fact, across every singles final she has played in her career, a 22-20 record is hardly outstanding for the world number one.
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