Just days ago, Elena Rybakina confirmed that she would finish 2026 as the world number one, having overtaken Aryna Sabalenka en route to winning the US Open.
It has been a standout year for the Kazakhstan superstar, having added two more majors to her trophy cabinet and ascended to the top of the world rankings.
Many have predicted she was capable of such dominance, but a lack of consistency and lapses in concentration often left her liable to shock defeats.
These kinds of losses have been ironed out massively this season, and Elena Rybakina, as the best player in the world, deservedly holds that crown.
However, she will face stern competition to retain it in 2027, with Martina Navratilova having named three players she thinks are capable of pushing for this elite honour.
Martina Navratilova backs Coco Gauff to challenge for world number one
Chatting to the WTA, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion was effusive in her praise for Rybakina.
However, she had some words of warning ahead of the new season, where competition for that spot might be fiercer than ever.
Which of these four WTA players do you think is most likely to win a Grand Slam in 2027?
The likes of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva will all hope to close the gap, with Sabalenka likely to be desperate to retake the crown as soon as possible.
Asked who she felt capable of pushing Rybakina, aside from the recently deposed Belarusian, Navratilova stated: “Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. Coco is still so young and still improving. Iva Jovic is improving all the time, too. She’s such a good athlete, and I’m looking forward to watching her improve. Those three would be my big contenders.”
Rybakina has just withdrawn from the Tokyo Open midway through the event, having secured the year-end world number one and decided she could no longer continue.
Martina Navratilova has advice for Elena Rybakina as the new world number one
In that same interview, Navratilova explained exactly what makes Rybakina so great and deserving of becoming world number one.
“She’s been the most consistent of the top players,” she began. “And she’s playing better in the big tournaments.
“She comes forward more, trusts her own calls and takes full responsibility for everything out there. Now the dynamic changes. Holding the No. 1 ranking brings its own weight, and the challenge is to keep finding areas to improve while everyone else on tour is chasing you down.”
Navratilova finished with some crucial advice for Rybakina. As a player who finished the year as the world number one on seven occasions, she knows better than most.
The 70-year-old insisted: “Pace yourself and take ownership of your team and of yourself. That way you’ll have belief when you’re playing the match, because you’ve done the hard work and taken responsibility for it. Less is more. It’s a good rule of life.”
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