Aryna Sabalenka has struggled on the WTA Tour as of late.
Since completing the ‘Sunshine Double’ in March, Sabalenka has suffered a plethora of early exits at high-profile WTA events.
In fact, Sabalenka has progressed to the semi-finals of just one WTA event since lifting the Miami Open title on March 28.
What is going wrong for Aryna Sabalenka at the moment? 😬
Sabalenka’s form simply has not been at the level you would expect of a world number one.
Kim Clijsters has offered her take on Sabalenka’s form, comparing Sabalenka’s plight to that of Serena Williams.
Kim Clijsters compares Aryna Sabalenka to Serena Williams
During the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, Serena Williams suggested that her opponents always raised the level of their game when playing against her.
“Every single match I play, whether I’m coming back from a baby or surgery it doesn’t matter, these young ladies bring a game that I’ve never seen before,” the 23-time major singles champion told reporters in South-West London.
“And it’s interesting because I don’t even scout as much because when I watch them play, it’s a totally different game than when they play me.”
“That’s what makes me great, I always play everyone at their greatest, so I have to be greater.”
Kim Clijsters, who won the 2009 US Open as an unranked player, referred to that iconic quote when analysing the recent struggles Aryna Sabalenka has endured on the WTA circuit.
“What I always feel with Sabalenka is that it can take one shot to turn it around really quickly,” the four-time major champion said on the Love All podcast.
“For the last few weeks I think she has been not playing with enough structure in her game. I think that’s what I am lacking a little bit, I think it’s a lot of powerful hitting and trying to hit the ball harder if things aren’t going her way, she will take even more risks.”
“I think Serena used to say it a lot,” Clijsters continued, referring to the quotes already discussed.
“When she was number one and winning all the Grand Slams and everything, players playing you, never have anything to lose so they play so freely and they serve better than before.
Aryna Sabalenka’s tournament results since winning the Miami Open in March
- Madrid Open: lost to Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7
- Italian Open: lost to Sorana Cirstea in the third round: 6-2, 3-6, 5-7
- Roland Garros: lost to Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals, 6-3, 5-7, 0-6
- Berlin Championships: lost to Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals, 4-6, 7-6, 0-6
- Wimbledon: lost to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, 2-6, 6-7
- Canadian Open: lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-7, 6-4, 4-6
“All of a sudden they are returning really well.
“I think the players Sabalenka has lost to since Miami are all good players, it’s not that she is losing to players that are ranked outside of the top 100.
“They are all players who are very good in their own right.”
Who could Aryna Sabalenka play first in Cincinnati?
As the number one seed, Sabalenka has received an automatic bye through to the Cincinnati Open second round.
There, she will face a qualifier or talented Australian youngster Talia Gibson.
Gibson, 22, has been a shining light on the WTA Tour this year.
Gibson reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals earlier this year and has since risen to world number 74.
Sabalenka and Gibson have never played each other before on the WTA Tour.
If Sabalenka advances to the third round in Cincinnati, she will likely play Queen’s champion Donna Vekic or Xinyu Wang.
