Aryna Sabalenka signed the best season of her career in 2024

The current season has probably met and even exceeded the expectations of the Belarusian tennis player. Aryna Sabalenka (1st), who had the pleasure of revalidating the title in the Australian Openremove the thorn in the US Open and finish in the top of the women’s ranking for the first time in his career.

Despite starting the calendar with a tough defeat against the Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the final of the WTA 500 in Brisbane, the Minsk-born once again exhibited her highest level on the cement of Melbourne, where she won in straight sets Ella Seidel, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Lesia Tsurenko, Amanda Anisimova, Barbora Krejcikova, Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng to become just the ninth player to be crowned two-time champion at the prestigious event.

However, the one born in Minsk would practically need seven months to proclaim again at the highest level, facing a complicated personal moment by suddenly suffering the death of her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, as well as failing to make a foothold in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart, totaling just three wins and four losses.

The resurgence of Anton Dubrov’s pupil would be evident in the main clay tournaments of the European tour, reaching the final in the WTA 1000 Madrid and Romewhere she would collide with her staunch competitor for the top of the ranking, the Polish Iga Swiatek (2nd), who would deny her both consecrations by winning 7-5, 4-6 and 7-6 (7), and 6-2 and 6- 3, respectively.

Roland Garros would be the headquarters of another positive although insufficient performance of the powerful right hand, which would leave behind her Spanish friend Paula Badosa and the American Emma Navarro, among others, to get into the top eight of the French Grand Slam for the second year in a row, before succumbing 6-7 (5 ), 6-4 and 6-4 versus the freshness and undeniable talent of the Russian youth Mirra Andreeva.

June and July would serve as the ideal time for shuffle and give again for the owner of 14 trophies at that time, mainly after her withdrawal due to injury in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 in Berlin, choosing to withdraw from the Paris Olympic Games and Wimbledon due to discomfort in her right shoulder and charging against the excess of tournaments and changes of surfaces in the calendar.

The stoppage would suit the European, who would face the north american tour with greater energy and expectations, polishing details in Washington and Toronto to beat their rivals without problems, leaving only a partial in the way and consecutively proclaiming themselves in the Cincinnati WTA 1000 and in the US Openexpanding on another’s rodeo by denying the crown to local Jessica Pegula on both occasions.

The end of the season would still bring more positive newsbecause he would shout champion in the Wuhan WTA 1000would regain leadership in the classification in a truly unusual way and would later ensure that it ended the year as number 1 on the planet, fulfilling its main objective set at the beginning of 2024.

A coronation in the WTA Finals would perhaps have been the finishing touch to a dream calendar for Sabalenka, who also gathered plenty of reasons to toast loudly with her loved ones, regroup and prepare for a 2025 that will demand even more of her.