Aryna Sabalenka enters the upcoming WTA Finals as the World No. 1, backed by a dominant season. However, according to Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova, one painful loss still lingers for the top-ranked player.
Ahead of the championship tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which runs from Nov. 1–8, 2025, Navratilova highlighted a major clay-court defeat that continues to follow Sabalenka, even after a season of triumphs.
Why Does Martina Navratilova Believe One Loss Still Haunts Aryna Sabalenka?
As the first player to qualify for the WTA Finals, Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka put together an impressive run in 2025. Her season was highlighted by winning the Brisbane International, Miami Open, Madrid Open, and the US Open. These victories contribute to a career total of 21 WTA Tour singles titles, and the 2025 event will be her fifth appearance in the WTA Finals since 2021.
Beyond those championships, her consistency was evident throughout the year. She reached the semifinals at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open and the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open. Sabalenka’s journeys at the Wimbledon Championships and the Berlin Tennis Open ended with semifinal losses.
Sabalenka will be joined in Riyadh by a field of other elite players, including Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and Elena Rybakina, as well as eight women’s doubles teams.
While analyzing the WTA Finals, Navratilova reflected on Sabalenka’s impressive performances but suggested that the star still feels the sting of losing the French Open title to American star Coco Gauff.
“Incredibly consistent and excellent. One major win, two finals and a semifinal. She was only three or four matches from winning the Grand Slam. Her consistency is not to be underestimated. There are so many players you can lose to these days, you have to be on your game at all times, and she was,” she shared (via WTA Tour).
Navratilova continued, “She peaked well for all the majors. She’s still rueing the French Open more than anything. She could have won that match against Coco Gauff. But she bounced back and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova rather than beating herself. Then she won the US Open pretty decisively.”
How Did Aryna Sabalenka Turn a Major Loss Into Motivation?
After successfully defending her US Open women’s singles title, Sabalenka shared that she derives strength from her late father, Sergey, a former ice hockey player who passed away at 43 from meningitis.
“When he passed away. It was a tough moment for me, for my family. I decided to take it as motivation, to put our family name in the history [books]. I think I feel his protection from up there. I know that he became my power,” she added.
Her path to clinching the US Open title was challenging. Sabalenka secured victories over Rebeka Masarova, Polina Kudermetova, Leylah Fernandez, Cristina Bucsa, Marketa Vondrousova, who withdrew with a knee injury, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova.
