Aryna Sabalenka has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in women’s tennis this season. Apart from securing her second Grand Slam earlier in the Australian Open, the former World No. 1 has been consistently performing her best. As she prepares for the final of the Italian Open, Andy Roddick delved deeper into her remarkable journey so far.

“It’s been high level every match he’s played, though. She played phenomenal against Danimals,” Andy Roddick stated during a conversation in the Tennis Channel Live Podcast. Aryna Sabalenka’s battle against the Miami and Charleston Open winner, Collins, indeed showed her ability to dominate the court with her aggressive style of play. 

Continuing his statement, Roddick added, “but Sabalenka, it’s always great when you see legends in the game. And people who are multiple times slam winners improve and add things to their games. Sabalenka has certainly done that. And that’s why she’s more consistent than she’s ever been.”

As he pointed out, Aryna Sabalenka’s game has undergone many changes throughout the last couple of years. Especially during her 2022 season, where her weak serve and 440 double faults inflicted self-doubt and concern about her game. “There was really a moment where I really didn’t believe that I’m going win it [a major title] one day, especially that period when I was serving double faults and couldn’t fix my serve,” the Belarusian player previously admitted.

As she refused to give up, her ability to work and improve her skills paid her off, eventually. The Belarusian player came back with improved serving techniques in 2023 and, since then, has earned two Australian Open titles! Not only that, but her intense battle during the Madrid Open final further emphasized her zeal to conquer her dreams. Even Aryna Sabalenka acknowledged this transformation earlier this year.

Aryna Sabalenka discusses how she now has “control” over herself on-court

When Aryna Sabalenka secured her second Australian Open title earlier in January against Zheng Qinwin, her excitement knew no bounds. But while celebrating her major success, she did not forget to mention the turbulent path that she endured to reach where she was. Sabalenka stated, “There were a lot of up and downs. But I just couldn’t quit. I felt like I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Watching videos to recognize her mistakes and practice more to improve on them helped her overcome her faults. Now, she is stronger than ever. “It has taken me so much time to kind of become who I am right now on court. To have this control on myself and to understand myself better,” she concluded.

Now it’s time for her to show the same prowess in the Italian Open final against Iga Swiatek, a rival against whom she lost the Madrid title a few weeks ago. Will her consistent dominance on-court help her secure another title this season? Only time will reveal that.