Aryna Sabalenka has won more titles than any other player on the WTA Tour in 2025.
The Belarusian star recently added another title to her resume in Madrid, when Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff, 6-3, 7-6, to clinch the title.
Now a three-time WTA Tour champion in 2025 following her victories in Brisbane and Miami, Sabalenka sits alone atop the world of women’s tennis.
Sabalenka is ranked number one in the world by over 4,000 points, as she continues to extend her gap to world number two Iga Swiatek.
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The 27-year-old will look to pick up her fourth title of the season at the Italian Open, where she finished as runner-up to Swiatek last time around.
Ahead of her opening match in Rome, one top ATP coach has shared his thoughts on Sabalenka and explains what she does that he finds ‘amazing’.
Paul Annacone says Aryna Sabalenka is an ‘amazing competitor’ and highlights her serving improvements
Appearing as a guest on the Inside-In Tennis Podcast, Paul Annacone gave his verdict on the world number one.
“She is an amazing competitor. We see that she wears her heart on her sleeve,” he said.
“We see the emotional volatility that she does possess, and when she uses that in an optimal way, and uses it as passion, she is amazing.
“When she gets really hard on herself and gets negative, it can be more of a challenge for her. But she has been amazingly dominant.
“The conditions in Madrid, I think, were great for her, because it’s altitude and it’s fast. Sure, it’s clay, but it plays fast. She has done a great job in managing those moments, and she really is the one to beat.”
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Annacone went on to highlight the area of Sabalenka’s game that has improved significantly recently.
“It’s amazing to watch her now in the big moments because she totally trusts,” he said.
“A few years ago, we were watching someone who really had a hard time hitting serves close to the box. That has gone now.
“Every once in a while, she will get a spell where she has a couple of double faults, but it does not faze her anymore.
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“She has had an amazing, amazing growth, and I think it’s going to be really difficult to knock her off that pedestal.”
Sabalenka averaged just 3.3 double faults per match at the 2025 Madrid Open, as she won her ninth WTA 1000 title.
Aryna Sabalenka has been the best tennis player in the world in 2025
Sabalenka’s dominance in the women’s game has been well documented, but what perhaps hasn’t been noted is that she’s outperformed her male counterparts as well.
Across the ATP and WTA Tours, no player has accumulated more points or won more titles in 2025 than the Belarusian.
ATP Tour and WTA Tour players with the most points in 2025
Australian Open champion Madison Keys is her closest challenger, but still trails Sabalenka by over 1,500 points.
On the men’s side, no player has picked up more points than Carlos Alcaraz, who shot to the top of the ATP leader board thanks to his win in Monte-Carlo and run to the Barcelona Open final.
It is perhaps unfair to gloss over the player who has scored the ninth most points this year, however.
Jannik Sinner has a perfect record of 7-7 (100%) in 2025, having won the only tournament he participated in at the Australian Open.
Many fans would likely argue that if Sinner hadn’t received a three-month suspension from tennis, he would be right on pace with Sabalenka at the top of the standings.
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Sinner will return to tennis this week at the Italian Open, an event where all ten players listed are scheduled to participate.
The second round of the Italian Open, where seeded players make their tournament debut, will begin on Thursday, May 8.