Almost exactly a year ago, Aryna Sabalenka became the world number one in the WTA rankings for the first time in her career. This happened after she reached the final of the US Open, while Iga Świątek was eliminated in the fourth round (losing to Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 1-6).
Aryna Sabalenka Warns Iga Świątek: "It's My Goal"
However, Sabalenka's joy at being world number one was short-lived. After eight weeks, Iga Świątek reclaimed the top spot, and there have been no changes at the top since. As of Monday, the Polish player entered her 20th week as the WTA world number one.
Currently, Świątek holds 10,885 points, while Sabalenka has 8,716, giving the Polish player a lead of 2,169 points. However, it's uncertain whether this lead will be enough for Świątek to retain the number one position until the end of the year.
It should be noted that the US Open champion doesn’t have many points to defend for the rest of the year, and she could significantly reduce Świątek's lead in the remaining part of the season, if not surpass her
- reads an article on tennisworldusa.org.
Regaining the number one WTA ranking is Sabalenka's plan, and she's open about it
I'm definitely hungry for more titles. Another goal is to try to become the number one player again. But I don't want to talk too much about this goal. I’m focused on improving and getting better every day. Now, after winning the US Open, I’ll take a few days off, so I can just enjoy the victory and forget about tennis for a moment. This way, I’ll stay fresh until the end of the season
- Sabalenka admits.
Martina Navratilova, a legendary tennis player and 18-time Grand Slam champion, also mentioned that Sabalenka still has a chance to reclaim the top ranking by the end of the year.
Sabalenka is the best player on hard courts. She’s catching up to Iga Świątek in the rankings, so we’ll see who ends up as the WTA number one after the season. Sabalenka still has a mathematical chance to do so, and she should, as she’s won two Grand Slam titles
- Navratilova told Sky Sports Tennis, as quoted by Tennis365.com.
It's still unclear which tournaments Sabalenka will play for the remainder of the year. She has already withdrawn from the WTA 500 event in Seoul, where Iga Świątek is set to compete. Sabalenka will next participate in the WTA 1000 tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan, and both she and Świątek will battle it out in the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
For now, Sabalenka has overtaken Świątek in terms of earnings for 2024. Thanks to her victories at the Australian Open and US Open, the Belarusian has earned $7.98 million, surpassing the Polish player. Świątek is currently ranked "only" fourth, with $7.52 million in on-court earnings this year.
