With tennis getting more and more competitive and interest in women’s sports rising, there have been many comparisons between the ATP and the WTA. Be it the prize money or the emerging talent, we have seen many similarities in the two tours. The WTA rankings table is currently led by Aryna Sabalenka, who has had a stellar 2024 season. Earlier today, a renowned data analyst, Shane Liyanage pointed out the Belarusian star’s unique quality that sets her apart from the rest in the tennis world.

Traditionally speaking, the pace of men’s tennis has been higher than that of the women’s game. However, with Sabalenka on the court, this isn’t the case as she is one of the hardest hitters of the tennis ball. As a result, the pace of her shots, especially the forehands tends to be higher than some of the ATP players as well. This unique fact was highlighted by Liyanage during his analysis.

In the interview released by Punto de Break earlier today, he revealed, “It’s surprising, but speed is something where there isn’t much difference. If you remove the serve, it’s not so different. The spin is significantly higher in men than in women. Regarding ball speed, Aryna hit her forehand faster than men at the US Open, for example. The women’s game is more linear, while the men’s can be a bit more lateral. Men hit more angles, vary the height much more than a female player. The tennis player uses the court width much more than in the women’s circuit.”

To put things into perspective, Sabalenka had the fastest average forehand speeds at the US Open. She averaged 80 MPH on her forehands, ahead of the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic, who averaged 79, 78, and 76 MPH, respectively. “I saw my stats on my forehand and I actually can’t believe it’s that fast. It felt kind of uncomfortable being at the top and even hitting harder than guys. That’s a really interesting stat,” the Belarusian said, after coming to know about his unique stat.

Meanwhile, this isn’t the only improvement that the tennis expert highlighted about Sabalenka. While comparing her game to Coco Gauff, Liyanage made an interesting revelation.

Coco Gauff’s flaw is Aryna Sabalenka’s strength

The American sensation has often received criticism for her poor service technique, especially in recent times. Gauff committed many double faults during important matches this season which became one of the major reasons for her losses. While double faults have been a problem for Gauff, it hasn’t been the case with Sabalenka as service has been one of her strengths.

Liyanage said, “There was a before and after. This year has been a blessing because she could work on other aspects of her tennis. In an Australian Open, Aryna made an average of 20 double faults and reached the fourth round. She would give her opponent 20 points and still win many matches.” As a result, the data analysis expert feels that “other parts of her game had improved.”

Sabalenka will begin her Australian Open title defense preparations at the Brisbane International next year. Can she defend her title Down Under? Let us know your views in the comments below.