Aryna Sabalenka continues to make improvements to her game even as the world number one.
Sabalenka has been world number one for 74 consecutive weeks, having ended the year at the top of the WTA rankings in both 2024 and 2025.
Following her loss in the final of the Australian Open, Sabalenka won the Indian Wells title after beating Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka’s run to the Indian Wells title has showcased just how dominant she is, with the Belarusian still making improvements to her serve that should be alarming for the rest of the WTA Tour.
Aryna Sabalenka is holding serve much more in 2026 than 2025
Sabalenka has previously admitted she nearly stopped playing tennis in 2022, when her serve was causing many issues and she hit over 400 double faults, more than anyone else on the WTA Tour.
Just four years later, Sabalenka is one of the best servers in women’s tennis and it has been really effective for her so far in 2026.
Who will be ranked higher by the end of 2026 – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
Last year, Sabalenka won 77.8% of her service games, which still placed her in third on the WTA Tour for players who had played more than 10 matches in the season.
Sabalenka has taken this even further in 2026, as she has won a huge 88.3% of her service games from her 19 matches so far in 2026, boosting her number of service holds by 10.5%.
In 2025, Sabalenka hit an average of four aces and 2.2 double faults per match, while in 2026 she is up at 4.8 aces and has lowered her number of double faults to 1.6 per match.
| Top 10 WTA Players | Service Games Won (%) in 2025 | Service Games Won (%) in 2026 | % Change |
| 1. Aryna Sabalenka | 77.8% | 88.3% | +10.5% |
| 2. Elena Rybakina | 82.5% | 82.1% | -0.4% |
| 3. Iga Swiatek | 76.6% | 70.5% | -6.1% |
| 4. Coco Gauff | 68.1% | 63.3% | -4.8% |
| 5. Jessica Pegula | 74.3% | 78.6% | +4.3% |
| 6. Amanda Anisimova | 72.8% | 71.9% | -0.9% |
| 7. Jasmine Paolini | 68.1% | 64.7% | -3.4% |
| 8. Elina Svitolina | 73.3% | 75.2% | +1.9% |
| 9. Victoria Mboko | 71.7% | 74.5% | +2.8% |
| 10. Mirra Andreeva | 74.3% | 72.8% | -1.5% |
This improvement is even more impressive when you compare it to her rivals, with Sabalenka nearly 10% higher than the player with the next highest service games win percentage in Jessica Pegula.
Pegula has upped her service game win percentage by 4.3%, and is one of only four top 10 players to do so this year alongside Sabalenka, Victoria Mboko and Elina Svitolina.
Perhaps the player who should have the most concern is Iga Swiatek, whose serving issues were on display at Indian Wells, and she has lowered her number of service holds by 6.1%.
Coco Gauff’s serving issues are always a hot topic, and she has won 4.8% less games on her serve this year.
Aryna Sabalenka is now the — best women’s player of all time
Where are you ranking her?
How does Aryna Sabalenka’s serve compare to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Sabalenka’s serve has been so impressive this year that it is even comparable to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
From the past 12 months, Sinner leads the ATP Tour after winning a huge 91.8% of his serving games, ahead of American players Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz.
World number one Alcaraz follows in third, as he has won 88.5% of his service games over the past year.
This is just 0.2% more than Sabalenka (just from 2026), which shows just how big of a weapon her serve has become this year.
| Player (Last 52 weeks) | Service Games Won |
| Jannik Sinner | 91.8% |
| Reilly Opelka | 89.1% |
| Taylor Fritz | 88.7% |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 88.5% |
| Aryna Sabalenka (Just In 2026) | 88.3% |
Sabalenka will be hoping that her serve continues to be firing at the Miami Open, where she is the defending champion.
She also has the opportunity to make history, with Sabalenka hoping to join the only four women who have completed the sunshine double.
Sabalenka will begin her bid to complete the sunshine double on Thursday, March 19, where she will play either Ann Li or a qualifier.
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