Aryna Sabalenka could have won all four Grand Slams and finished World No. 1 ahead of Iga Swiatek hints Andrea Petkovic

Aryna Sabalenka had a memorable 2023, winning one Grand Slam and making it to at least the semi-finals in the other three.

Aryna Sabalenka could have won all four Grand Slams and finished World No. 1 ahead of Iga Swiatek hints Andrea Petkovic

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Andrea Petkovic (Via Open source)

Aryna Sabalenka, the world number 2 has been titled the best player of 2023 by former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic via the Rennae Stubbs Podcast. The Belarusian started the year by winning her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open followed by semi-final runs at the next two events. After being a finalist at the US Open, the world number two also had a decent run at the WTA Finals.

Andrea Petkovic reckons that Sabalenka could have won all 4 Grand Slams looking at her consistency throughout the tournament. The former German player said: 

She won the title at the Australian Open and she was leading 5–2 in the third set against Karolina Muchova [French Open]. Until then, she was number 1 on tour, she had won by far the most matches. In the semi‐final at Wimbledon, she should have won this match against Ons Jabeur too. She was leading by a set and had break points, several break points, the momentum was completely on her side, but she lost that match.

She concluded:

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The same thing happened in the US Open final when she was leading by a set and the momentum was completely on her side to beat Coco. 
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The Belarusian was also ranked one for some time after a deep run at the US Open before losing to Coco Gauff in the finals. Although she reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, her consistency was seen throughout the year. She may not have won any other Grand Slam but won other WTA tournaments and is thus believed to have had a better season than the Polish sensation.

Iga Swiatek also agrees that Aryna Sabalenka deserved the world number 1 position

World number 1 Iga Swiatek also believes that her rival Aryna Sabalenka deserved the number 1 spot. Being modest, the Pole also agreed that the Belarusian also had a great season and truly deserved the top spot.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Via sky sports)

While Swiatek won 6 titles in the year, she still saw a dip in form that ensured her rival to replace her. Both of them have played each other a total of three times this year with the Pole winning 2 of those meetings. Despite this, she believes that her rival could have been number 1.

It was towards the end of the year when Iga regained her form and got back her position to end the year as number 1 for straight years. They played last in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals where the weather played a huge role but ultimately the 21-year-old Swiatek won the game and the tournament to end her year on a high note.

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