Aryna Sabalenka started the 2024 season being World No.2 and successfully defended her Australian Open Grand Slam title. However, the clay swing and the Grass swing were dominated by Iga Swiatek, who claimed the French Open and the Wimbledon titles, along with Olympic bronze. Sabalenka recovered from a shoulder injury in the meanwhile and made a comeback at the Cincinnati Open. As the four Grand Slams for the season are done now, Martina Navratilova thinks that Sabalenka may prove to be a threat to Swiatek’s title defense on Grass court next year, along with the year-end World No.1 title this year!

After Sabalenka’s terrific win over the home favorite Jessica Pegula, she is back in the race for the WTA crown. Her latest exploits on the hard court have uplifted her rankings from World No.3 to World No.2. If Navratilova’s words are to be believed, Sabalenka’s journey to the top spot may not be long.

During an interview with Sky Sports which was quoted by Przeglad Sportowy Onet, Navratilova praised Sabalenka’s game on the hard courts. “She is the best player on hard courts and catches up with Iga Swiatek in the ranking. We will see which of them will be the leader at the end of the year. I think Sabalenka has mathematical chances, so she should achieve this by winning two Grand Slam tournaments. Right now, Swiatek has 10,885 points, while Sabalenka is a place behind with 8,716 points. And with a few tournaments left for the calendar year, Sabalenka may take over Swiatek by the year-end,” Navratilova said.

Sabalenka’s threat over Swiatek’s position doesn’t end with just gaining the World No.1 position. It extends into the 2025 grass swing, according to Navratilova. The Czech legend believes that the Belarusian is a threat not just on the hard court, but on every court. She said, “The sky is her limit. She will be the favorite at next year’s Wimbledon, she also knows how to play on the floor. She (Sabalenka) is a threat on every court.”

Navratilova is not the only former pro who rates Sabalenka highly. The likes of Andy Roddick and other experts also see a resemblance with Serena Williams. Just like Serena was a force to reckon with during her heyday, winning 23 Grand Slam titles and 4 Olympics gold medals, Sabalenka’s career may proceed along similar lines. Even Jessica Pegula, after losing the Cincinnati finals to Sabalenka, made a very interesting remark about the Belarusian.

When Jessica Pegula got reminded of Serena Williams during her match against Aryna Sabalenka

Pegula lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the finals, back to back. First at Cincinnati, and then at the US Open. Though winning the title would have been sweeter for Pegula, making it to her first Grand Slam final was also a remarkable achievement. However, during the final match at Cincinnati, Pegula was reminded of Serena Williams’ game, as she battled Sabalenka on the hard court.

During her on-court interview after losing to the Belarusian star, Pegula said, “It felt like Serena today, I don’t know, you were serving for a little bit. I may have wanted Serena instead of Aryna today, congrats to you and your team.”

With so many people talking about the resemblance between Serena and Sabalenka, no wonder Martina Navratilova sees the World No. 2 as a strong contender on all the courts next year and not just on hard courts.