Former World No. 8 Mark Philippoussis claimed in an interview this week that Aryna Sabalenka’s current average groundstroke speed might be more than most ATP pros.
Philippoussis recently sat down for a candid chat with the Australian Open TV, where he discussed a wide variety of topics ranging from his own career to the changes in the tennis landscape since his retirement. At one point, the Aussie admitted that men’s and women’s tennis are neck and neck in terms of skill nowadays.
Mark Philippoussis Praises Aryna Sabalenka
The growing trend of physical attributes being key on the WTA Tour, in particular, impressed Mark Philippoussis, prompting him to give a nod to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The 48-year-old went as far as to assert that the Belarusian’s shotmaking during her US Open-winning campaign was arguably more powerful than that of several top players on the ATP Tour.
“I’m watching just as much women’s tennis as the men’s. And I feel like the tennis has just been incredible from the women. They’ve taken it to another level. The power that these players have. And Aryna Sabalenka, you know, she’s been dominating it. And I think she’s at the average, her hitting speed’s higher than the men’s, I think, it was at the US Open, which is incredible,” Mark Philippoussis told Australian Open TV this week.
“So I’ve just been enjoying watching both. They’ve had some, yeah, some good matches lately, and it’s been great to watch.”
While the statistics surrounding average groundstroke speed in men’s and women’s singles competitions at this year’s US Open aren’t publicly available, there was enough data going around last year to suggest that Aryna Sabalenka was indeed hitting harder than the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic.
Based on stats published by IBM — the US Open’s digital innovation partner — Sabalenka’s average forehand speed in New York last year was 129 km/h, which was slightly higher than Alcaraz’s 127 km/h, Sinner’s 126 km/h, and Djokovic’s 122 km/h, respectively.
Sabalenka went on to enjoy her third Major triumph at the 2024 US Open for the loss of just one set, beating local favorite Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the final. The 27-year-old’s Flushing Meadows title defense this year was similar as she dropped just one set en route to the final, where she dominated an in-form Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) to win her fourth Grand Slam tournament and her fourth WTA title of 2025.
Sabalenka Looking to End Impressive 2025 Season Strong
Aryna Sabalenka has been by far the most consistent player on the WTA Tour this year, winning 59 of her 70 matches and securing titles at the US Open, the Miami Open, the Madrid Open, and the Brisbane International. The World No. 1 also competed in the finals of the Australian Open, the French Open, the BNP Paribas Open, and the Stuttgart Open.
The Belarusian will be eager to finish her 2025 season with a bang at the WTA Finals – a tournament that has eluded her in the last four years. She finished runner-up at the year-end championships in 2022 and has since recorded back-to-back semifinal appearances at the elite event.
