Consistent Aryna Sabalenka Snubbed to Put Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff on a Pedestal in Bianca Andreescu’s Blunt Admission

The rise of the WTA stars: From the eyes of a former Grand Slam champion! Bianca Andreescu won the US Open in 2019 at the age of 19, but has since struggled with injuries and a lack of consistency. She has seen the rise several other teenagers like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff. Her journey hasn’t been a bed full of roses! But at the same time, her vigilant eyes never got distracted from the Top 3 spots in women’s tennis.

During a conversation with the WTA Insider Podcast, Andreescu highlighted the major similarities between Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. She also highlighted how their story is quite different to someone like Aryna Sabalenka. The former world number 4 shared, “I like let’s look at Sabalenka for instance she had really skyrocketed. You know, she had a very steady career.”

She went on to add, “But then you look at Iga, it was just like skyrocket, like right from the start and it’s consistent. Yeah. And I mean, Coco seems like it’s the same. I mean, for me, skyrocket and then you know, break down a bit and then lose.”

The world number 1 is now 23 years old, and she has already won 22 titles in her career, including five Grand Slam triumphs since turning pro in 2016. Even Coco Gauff (20) has won seven career titles including a Grand Slam triumph at the US Open in 2023.

On the other hand, the 26-year-old Aryna Sabalenka turned pro a year before Swiatek’s debut, and she has won 14 titles in her career so far, including two Australian Open titles. Despite fewer title runs than Iga Swiatek’s, she has featured in several QFs, SFs, and finals in her career in the past few years.

This reflects the level of consistency with which Sabalenka has performed over the years, which is what the 24-year-old Canadian tennis star, Bianca Andreescu perhaps wanted to highlight during her speech. Even earlier during an interview, Andreescu spoke about the rise of young athletes.

Bianca Andreescu feels it’s “really nice” to see the rise of young athletes in women’s tennis like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and others

During a 2022 interview, when asked if she feels older than other players, Andreescu said, “When I do see players like Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu, Iga, she’s younger than me, I feel like I’m getting older.” She further went on to add, “So it’s a good reality check to put me in my place. Like, come on, your time is slowly running out, which is good in a way. And it’s really nice to see that because I was also doing very well at their age. So to see young athletes do well is always really nice to see.”

Although Iga Swiatek currently leads the H2H with ‘Bibi’ with a 2-0 margin, she has often shown the amount of respect she has for the Canadian. Bianca Andreescu has been a big proponent of the importance of mental health in tennis. She has not shied away from sharing the details of her struggles and also encouraged others to seek the help they need. Reflecting on her enormous strength to make a comeback from a mental health break, Swiatek said, “I think, yeah, I have huge respect for her, because she’s been through a lot, and for sure it wasn’t easy for her.”

Praise from Swiatek and a common love for Justin Bieber with Gauff might have put these two stars on top for Andreescu. While she does show love for Sabalenka, the top 2 of the WTA are her favorites. Will the Belarusian beauty turn her opinion around?