“Martina Navratilova Predicts Aryna Sabalenka’s Rise to No. 1 and Wimbledon Glory After US Open Triumph!”

Martina Navratilova believes that Aryna Sabalenka has a strong chance of catching up to Iga Swiatek in the race for the WTA No. 1 ranking. She also made a bold prediction, naming Sabalenka as “one of the favourites at Wimbledon.”

 

Sabalenka secured her third Grand Slam title at the 2024 US Open, defeating Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the final. Despite this win, she remains ranked No. 2 behind Swiatek, who has held the top spot since November last year. However, Sabalenka has significantly narrowed the gap, trailing Swiatek by only 2,169 points.

 

Navratilova points out that Swiatek will have more points to defend in the latter part of the season, having won the China Open and WTA Finals in 2023. This gives Sabalenka an opportunity to overtake her by year-end.

 

Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, Navratilova said, “She’s the best hard-court player, and she’s catching up to Iga Swiatek in the rankings. It’s still mathematically possible for Sabalenka to become world No. 1 by the end of the year, and she deserves it after winning two majors.”

 

Having won the Australian Open earlier in the year, Sabalenka joins a prestigious group of only five women who have won both hard-court Grand Slam titles in a single season—Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Martina Hingis among them.

 

Sabalenka’s dominance on hard courts is clear, with a 27-1 record in her last four Grand Slam tournaments on the surface. Her only loss came to Coco Gauff in the 2023 US Open final. However, she has also shown versatility by reaching the semi-finals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

 

Navratilova added that Sabalenka is a formidable contender on any surface, stating, “The sky’s the limit for her. She should be one of the favourites at Wimbledon, and she knows how to play on clay, too. She’s a threat everywhere.”

 

Sabalenka’s continued improvement and her strong all-surface game make her a major threat on the WTA Tour moving forward.