Aryna Sabalenka’s consistency and commanding presence on tour have increasingly become a major talking point. Her standout 2026 season has also drawn attention from Andrea Petkovic and Alison Riske.
While Petkovic offered a deeper analysis of the Belarusian’s improved mindset in high-pressure moments, Riske drew comparisons with former world No. 1 Serena Williams.
Andrea Petkovic Breaks Down Aryna Sabalenka’s Improved Mindset
Sabalenka currently sits comfortably atop the WTA rankings, holding a commanding lead over world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Her dominant start to the 2026 season has only strengthened her hold on the top spot. She opened the year with a title-winning run at the Brisbane International and followed it up with a strong campaign at the Australian Open, where she reached the final before narrowly falling to Rybakina.
The Belarusian then stepped away from competition, skipping the entire Middle Eastern swing before returning refreshed for the Sunshine Double. Her commanding run saw her reach the final at the BNP Paribas Open, where she avenged her Australian Open defeat to Rybakina with a hard-fought three-set win.
She carried that momentum into the Miami Open, once again overcoming Rybakina, this time in straight sets in the semifinals, before defeating Coco Gauff in the final. In doing so, Sabalenka completed the rare and prestigious Sunshine Double.
The four-time Grand Slam champion is firmly at the peak of her game, and Riske believes her dominance is a major boost for women’s tennis. She noted that the tour hasn’t seen a world No. 1 as commanding as Serena Williams. She said in a recent episode of the “Big T Podcast.”
“I just absolutely love where her head is right now and I think it’s really great for women’s tennis to have this very dominant No. 1. We haven’t really seen that since I’d say possibly Serena (Williams),” she said.
Petkovic later chimed in, highlighting Sabalenka’s past struggles under pressure and recalling how she fell to Rybakina in the Australian Open final despite leading the final set 3-0.
“Yeah, it was Ashleigh Barty, but she retired early. Then Iga ( Świątek) was on top but I think Aryna was always sort of breathing down her neck. And I think, you’re spot on. I looked at a few highlights of the Australian Open final one more time because I remembered it in a way that Aryna sort of self-destructed emotionally. She was up 3-0 in the third set and then she still lost against Rybakina and lost that Australian Open title,” she said.
Petkovic added that Sabalenka has struggled in big finals, like she did against world No. 3 Gauff in the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open. She further explained why emotional control falters despite strong performances otherwise.
“That has happened to her before and especially against Coco Gauff. Last year, Roland Garros, the first US Open final where Coco won her first Major title. And she said that there were a lot of conversations after the Australian Open with her team trying to figure out exactly what you touched upon. Why am I so mentally strong in 99% of my matches and then it comes to the big final and I get overwhelmed by my emotions. I get really down on myself and I get really negative when I keep it together for basically every other match,” she said.
However, her recent form suggests that Sabalenka has gained far greater control over her mindset, which could be scary for her peers, according to the German.
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“And she has figured it out and that’s scary for everybody else because she has now won the Sunshine Double. Yes, that’s amazing in itself. But she has won two huge titles back to back with being tired in Miami with the different conditions with having to trying and stay in this competitor’s mindset for four weeks. I know how hard it was when I won here in the 1800’s. I know how hard it is to stay in that mindset of winning for a week, let alone for two weeks,” she concluded.
Sabalenka has so far won three titles in the 2026 season, with a win-loss record of 23-1. The Belarusian will next compete at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which begins on April 11.
