Aryna Sabalenka’s 2025 campaign will go down as one of the most dominant single-season performances the WTA has seen in years. Yet, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, a former pro, believes the Belarusian may still walk away feeling that the year was simply “OK.”
It sounds almost impossible given her numbers, but Stubbs argues that Sabalenka’s own sky-high standards might shape her reflection on what most fans would unanimously call a championship season.
Rennae Stubbs’ Insight Into Aryna Sabalenka’s Self-Assessment of Her Season
Sabalenka closed 2025 as the year-end No. 1 and never relinquished the position, stacking up a commanding 63-12 record. She became the first woman in WTA history to surpass $15 million in single-season prize earnings, overtaking Serena Williams’ long-standing mark. Her trophy haul included titles in Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid, along with a successful defense of her US Open crown.
She also reached the championship match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh before falling to Elena Rybakina in straight sets. Her consistency at the Majors was just as striking: runner-up finishes at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, a semifinal run at Wimbledon, and a second straight triumph in New York cemented her as the tour’s most reliable force. For nearly any player, a year like this would be the definition of excellence.
Stubbs, however, thinks Sabalenka measures success differently. Speaking on a recent episode of her podcast, the former coach and commentator suggested that even a season overflowing with accolades might carry a hint of frustration for Sabalenka. “I would say that [Aryna Sabalenka] would look at this year as OK, interestingly enough,” Stubbs said, noting that Sabalenka’s competitive instincts often sharpen her self-evaluation.
MORE: Aryna Sabalenka Fires Confident Shot at Nick Kyrgios Ahead of Their Battle of the Sexes Clash
“I think she would look back and say, yes, I had a phenomenal year in winning another major title at the US Open, but I think she would say that she lost more than she would have wanted to this year in big matches. And yes, that loss to Amanda [Anisimova] at Wimbledon, that was probably incredibly disappointing for her,” she added.
Sabalenka is currently preparing for the highly anticipated ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition showdown against Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios. The exhibition is scheduled for Dec. 28 at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena, and is designed to recapture the cultural significance of the legendary 1973 clash between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
That historic meeting became a defining moment in the push for gender equality in athletics, and this contemporary version arrives at a time when rules, policies, and the overall competitive environment in sports are undergoing rapid changes.
