The curtain came down on 2025 in disappointing fashion for Aryna Sabalenka as she lost in the final of the WTA Finals to Elena Rybakina.
The Kazakhstani player won in straight sets against Sabalenka, with Rybakina finishing the year as one of the form players.
Sabalenka was extremely frustrated after the defeat, with the 27-year-old losing in yet another final to finish the calendar year.
Sabalenka has spoken of her delight at how the year panned out, but in truth, she might be forgiven for having demanded more from herself.
Rennae Stubbs made an intriguing claim about Sabalenka, and now Jimmy Connors has seemingly echoed her sentiments about the world number one.
Jimmy Connors makes Aryna Sabalenka claim
Sabalenka will take some pride from her year on the WTA Tour, with a number of successes coming her way.
She won the US Open and also got her hands on two WTA 1000 events, which is more than can be said for other players in the top 10.
However, things could have been so much better, with Sabalenka losing finals at the Australian Open and French Open, with a semifinal exit coming at Wimbledon.
Given her sheer will to win, Connors believes that Sabalenka will be happy with 2025 but thinks fine margins have stopped it from being a brilliant year.
He told the Advantage Connors podcast: “Getting to the semis and finals, you have got to be playing your best tennis. You have come through the draw, beaten players along the way. You are striving to play your best tennis, especially when you are in the finals; that is what everyone is looking to do.
“But she keeps putting herself in those situations, and things don’t go right all the time.
“Your opponent is out there to try and do the same thing you are, and that’s beat you and win the tournament.
“So counter-acting that is sometimes, you might be expecting something different, or your opponent comes up with something a bit different, or you might be a little bit off or whatever.
“It’s just to keep in there and grinding, but also she can look back over this year and though she might say it was successful, she will see that she had three or four or five great opportunities, not to make it a really good year but an exceptionally great year. That might just drive her even more.
“To say look what I was able to do, I have let this slip by, I am not going to let this happen again. This is where you have someone on the sidelines who says, if they know what they are doing themselves, look at what you have done this year.
“Let’s go and have that, but next year. Let’s get in there and keep giving yourself chances, but come through and win those chances that you think you should win.
“It’s easy to sit here and do. I have been on both sides of that spectrum, where I lost in the finals, but all that did was drive me a little more to keep training.
“Because the more it gets negative around, where it’s like ‘Oh man, she lost this final and lost that final’, that is the time to push yourself to another level. That gives you something else to work hard for.
“But she had an amazing year, and she will look back and say it could have been extra special.
“So let’s just wait and see what happens next year. I have been a fan of hers (for five or six years). I have enjoyed watching her play, and she has that ability to come back and counteract that. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens next year when she starts playing in Australia.”
What Aryna Sabalenka has achieved in 2025
- Australian Open – F
- French Open – F
- Wimbledon – SF
- US Open – W
- Qatar Open – R2
- Dubai Championships – R3
- Indian Wells – F
- Miami Open – W
- Madrid Open – W
- Italian Open – QF
- Canadian Open – Didn’t play
- Cincinnati Open – QF
- China Open – Didn’t play
- Wuhan Open – SF
- WTA Finals – F
Sabalenka remains the player to beat in 2026
It must be frustrating for Sabalenka to go through the majority of the tournament without so much as a challenge, only to get defeated at the final hurdle.
However, it would be more frustrating if she weren’t winning matches and heading out of big tournaments in the early stages of them.
As a result, Sabalenka will remain the female player to beat on the WTA Tour, given that she is super consistent and has been the best player in the world for two years running.
After losing in the final of the WTA Finals, it will now be fascinating to see what Sabalenka can do in Australia and she will be hoping to claim a third crown at that event.
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