American Elite Coco Gauff and Madison Keys Weighed on Aryna Sabalenka’s List of WTA’s Finest

As the World No.1, Aryna Sabalenka carries not only the skill but the insight into what it takes to be the best. However, she’s facing a few setbacks recently. Although she won the Brisbane International, her AO campaign and a three-peat dream remained eluded after losing to Madison Keys in the finals. Since then it’s been a tough road for the Belarusian as she faced early exits in the Middle East swing of the tour. But Aryna is keeping her head high, aiming to make a strong statement at the Indian Wells Open and protecting her no.1 position. Now advancing to R2, it’s clear she needs no need help on the court to stay on the top. However, when it comes to picking another top player, Aryna is torn!

As the WTA fraternity advances into the Indian Wells Open, they’ve displayed some fantastic openers as top players like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and more make it into the next round of the tournament. Sabalenka made a winning start to her 2025 BNP Paribas Open campaign, overcoming a strong challenge from McCartney Kessler, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in one hour and 32 minutes to advance into the second round.

Following her feat, the Belarusian was asked an interesting question in the post-match press conference, “There are four, you can say, key shots in tennis: Forehand, backhand, serve, return of serve. Who are the best in those four categories that you have faced?” and Sabalenka just didn’t have to words to answer it!

First, she cheekily suggested herself as the best server on a good day, “Serve, I mean, on a good day, I’d say me.” Even mentioned ATP’s Jannik Sinner for her pick on the best forehand, but then quickly shifted gears when reminded to focus on WTA players. “Elena, when she’s in her good days,” she said, referring to Elena Rybakina, known for her powerful serve.

When it came to the forehand, Sabalenka initially hesitated, joking about being too enamored with her own game. She noted, “I just so much in love with myself on the good days. I cannot think about any players (laughter). Can you believe me?” However, with a bit of prompting, she named Madison Keys as a standout. As a matter of fact, Keys is renowned for her powerful forehand, which propelled her to victory in January against the World No.1 in the finals.

The backhand proved to be a tougher question, with Sabalenka playfully pleading for help, she added, “Guys, you’re just killing me right now.” Eventually, she acknowledged Coco Gauff‘s impressive skills in this area noting, “Coco is good.” Perhaps she recalled her impressive backhand from the 2024 Wuhan Open SFs. While Gauff’s serve was marred by 21 double faults, her backhand was a highlight of the match.

As for the return of serve, Sabalenka didn’t provide a specific name, requesting to move saying, “Just skip this question. I’m so bad.” On the other hand, while Sabalenka struggled to choose the best players for key tennis shots, her rival Iga Swiatek had no hesitation when it came to picking her. In a surprising twist, Swiatek named Sabalenka as her top choice for a future coach!

Sabalenka becomes Polish No.1’s future choice of coach!

The tennis world has witnessed a remarkable shift in the dynamic between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, two of the sport’s most formidable competitors. Their rivalry, once intense and competitive, has evolved into a budding friendship. It all began with a lighthearted TikTok video at the WTA Finals, where Sabalenka extended an invitation to Swiatek, saying, “I thought we have to stay together and have fun and just enjoy our rivalry, not be too tough on each other.” Since then, their casual encounter blossomed into practice sessions and fitness workouts together, showcasing their newfound camaraderie.

During the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Arab News asked Iga Swiatek which player she would like to coach her, and her answer seemed to be a surprising twist. She said, “Petkovic is not playing anymore but I heard she has a really great eye and I always liked her, so I think we would get along. I don’t know, maybe Aryna. She’s older than me and maybe she’s going to finish earlier (than me) and that would be funny,” opening the discussion for a possible coaching role for Sabalenka amongst fans!

But don’t expect the World No.1 to hang up her racket just yet. When asked about coaching, she remained non-committal. “I’m not sure about that,” she said in an Instagram Q&A. “Probably, because of my crazy experience, I could help with the mental part of the game. But once again… I’m not sure about that.”

For now, Aryna is focused on her next match against Lucia Bronzetti. Her competitive spirit remains strong, and she’s not ready to trade her racket for a coaching clipboard anytime soon.