By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday May 4, 2025
Another title in Madrid has once again caused pundits to wonder if this is the year that Aryna Sabalenka can parlay her success in the Spanish capital into a triumph in Paris.
Sabalenka, who is 37-8 on clay since the start of 2023 but has never won a title at a venue other than the Caja Majica in Madrid, is certainly hoping that 2025 is the year.
“I hope it’s going to be different,” she said with a laugh after defeating Coco Gauff for the title on Saturday.
Sabalenka, whose best performance at Roland-Garros is a semifinal in 2023, says that with each passing year she has more belief in her potential on the surface.
“Honestly, I just have more confidence in my game on the clay court,” she said. “I had really tough battles in the past in the last stages of the tournament. I was there in the semis and I was really close to make it to the finals. I am just going to go out there and compete and fight. Physically and mentally I’m ready to work for every point as much as I have to work, and I really hope that this year is going to be different.”
No matter what happens in Rome and Paris, Sabalenka will retain her cavernous lead atop the rankings. She currently has 11,118 points in the live rankings, which is nearly 4000 points ahead of Iga Swiatek.
Sabalenka is the third woman in history, along with Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek to ever amass over 11,000 ranking points.
WTA, 11000-Point Club
1. Serena Williams, 13615 in 2013
2. Iga Swiatek, 11695 in 2024
3. Aryna Sabalenka, 11118 in 2025
“Honestly, it’s so crazy for me, and I’ve been working my whole life to achieve this goal, and to be on the top of the ranking, that means a lot,” she said. “It gives me this, I don’t know, I kind of, like I feel like that my life wasn’t like a waste of time.”
Far from it. Sabalenka is a three-time major champion who appears destined to double that count at some point in her career.
She says she’s always looking for ways to improve her game, and her dedication to craft is one of the biggest reasons why she has run the table atop the WTA rankings all year.
“Overall being an athlete it’s always working on yourself, always getting better, always stepping back, looking at your game, and seeing what you have to improve, and go out there on the practice court and work for it,” she said.
She says the biggest key to her success is this relentless pursuit of evolution in her game.
“I’ve been working really hard and improving my game and bringing variety into my game, I think that’s the biggest key in most of the matches right now,” she said on Saturday. “I’m super happy that we were able to improve my game in everything.”
She doesn’t need prompting to list those improvements, starting with the bedrock.
“The movement,” she says. “And my touch game is much better right now, I trust my touch game much more right now also. I think it’s always working on yourself, and always looking for something to improve and get better at.”
