Follow us on Google Discover Aryna Sabalenka stands out compared to the rest of the WTA Tour according to this top 30 player.
Sabalenka won the US Open last month, lifting her fourth Grand Slam singles title and solidifying her place as world number one.
The Belarusian has only played one tournament since her triumph in New York, with Jessica Pegula beating Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Wuhan Open.
Despite this, Sabalenka has been told she has an advantage over the rest of the WTA Tour, and this has been echoed by one of her fellow players.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesMarta Kostyuk explains what is different about Aryna Sabalenka compared to other WTA players
Marta Kostyuk is the current world number 27, but she has been ranked as high as 16 in the WTA rankings.
Despite her clear talent and potential, Kostyuk has still never been able to beat either Sabalenka or world number two Iga Swiatek.
In an exclusive interview with Tennis 365, Kostyuk was asked about what separates the likes of Sabalenka and Swiatek from the rest of the WTA Tour.
“Against Iga, when I have played her, I wasn’t ready to play her at all,” said Kostyuk. “I played her over a year ago and she was very strong.
“With Aryna, I know it is a tough battle. I have my own skills, but at the end of the day, they are all much bigger than me, much taller than me, much stronger than me.”
In a follow-up question later on in the interview, Kostyuk was asked about whether she thinks the mentality of top players is one of the big reasons for their success, to which she particularly highlighted how strong Sabalenka is in the biggest moments.
“Their confidence is just different,” answered the Ukrainian. “I have played some close matches against Aryna and you see how she plays the break points. She just doesn’t care. She has no doubt that she will save them. She hits a big serve and hits the forehand. No doubt.
“She is number one in the world, she has played a lot of finals and she has that confidence. That helps her to have no doubts. For me, it is not so easy for me to play without doubt. It is an interesting sport and I’m enjoying the journey of trying to figure it out.”
Aryna Sabalenka’s tie-break record shows how clutch she can be in important moments
Sabalenka’s impressive mental strength has been particularly evident in tie-breaks this year, with the world number one developing an impressive record in this format.
Prior to Pegula beating Sabalenka at the Wuhan Open, she had won 19 consecutive tie-break sets.
This includes two in a tense encounter between Sabalenka and Kostyuk in Madrid, which the former won in straight sets.
The only two players to have beaten Sabalenka in a tie-break set this year are Pegula and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
While she has been praised for her mentality, Sabalenka was also criticised for what she did in her match against Pegula.
Sabalenka will look to put this behind her with just one tournament left this year at the year-end WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.