Aryna Sabalenka is in a league of her own. This year has been nothing short of magical for the Belarusian. With a couple of Grand Slams and WTA 1000 titles in her trophy cabinet, she has been the star of women’s tennis so far. What is it that sets her apart? Her consistent performance has convinced many that she is a strong contender for the year-end world number-one ranking. Currently placed second, Sabalenka is narrowly trailing Iga Swiatek to the top spot. Moreover, she’s zooming past the competition to the top in a unique way, it’s “Sabalenka, doing Sabalenka things”

On October 15th, Andy Roddick and guest Jon Wertheim, a prominent journalist, took to the podcast ‘Served’. They discussed that while players like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina are navigating their own challenges, the Belarusian comes off as almost unfazed. Despite the season’s end, which often brings complaints and exhaustion from many players. Sabalenka seems to be “cruising along”, demonstrating not just talent but an impressive ability to maintain peak performance.

Her match against Coco Guff at the Wuhan Open semifinals spoke volumes. After losing the first set 1-6 and trailing 4-2 in the second, she rallied back to win 6-4, 6-4. With this match, Sabalenka made quite an impression in the eyes of the former 2003 US Open champion. Because to Roddick, it’s not just her list of achievements but her resilience throughout this season that matters. Which is something none of the other contenders possess. He noted, “The one thing we don’t talk enough about is Sabalenka because you try to have a take on people, her fitness”

While Sabalenka’s journey over time has been anything but smooth. Having faced challenges, including a notorious case of the yips that led to a staggering 428 double faults in 2022. Yet, she isn’t one to shy away from these difficulties. This season alone, she won her third Grand Slam title, became the Australian Open Champion, and consistently reached the finals of many tournaments. Roddick added, “I don’t think we give her enough credit for the fitness leaps that she’s made in the last couple of years. I mean that’s another thing that kinda just gets accepted and we kind of move on. But we should spend a second on that.”

Additionally, Wertheim emphasizes, unlike most players who are facing difficulty this time around. Like Elena Rybakina is facing uncertainty about their well-being, while others, such as Coco Gauff, are dealing with personal and professional challenges. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek has made a coaching change in her pursuit of improvement. But when it comes to Aryna? She’s light-years ahead in her game. Right now, she’s at the second rank. What are the odds she’ll make it to No. 1 before the season ends?

Sabalenka points are nearing Iga Swiatek’s 9785.

Following her thrilling showdown against home favorite Zheng Qinwen in the Wuhan Open final, Aryna Sabalenka has made quite the splash! With a hard-fought victory of 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, she not only claimed her third consecutive title at this event but also snagged a whopping 1000 points in the WTA rankings. Now, she’s just 69 points shy of Iga Swiatek in the race for the coveted year-end No. 1 ranking.

“That’s really tight ranking right now. Really nice to see,” said Sabalenka, after the match. While the competition is tight, the No. 2 player reflects on her experience at last year’s WTA Finals, where she faced off against Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. Although Swiatek emerged victorious in that match, Sabalenka has hopes to turn the tables this year.

She added, “I always say of course it’s one of the goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and just keep working hard. We’ll see after the Finals if I was good enough this season to become world No.1.” With the WTA Finals in Riyadh on the horizon, it’s shaping up to be an exhilarating finish to the season. Sabalenka is revving up her engines and leaving her competitors in the dust as she races toward the top! Do you think she’ll cross the finish line first? Let us know in the comments below!