Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina make their feelings known after Indian Wells surface speed change drama

Aryna Sabalenka claimed that she was in line with the new surface that will be employed at the BNP Paribas Open this fortnight. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, didn't offer a starkly different opinion to that shared by the World No. 1, but she did have something to say about the relatively lower bounce of the surface.

Earlier this week, the news of the Indian Wells organizers changing the surface provider from Plexiwave, which was used at the tournament for decades, to the more conventional Laykold. The latter surface is also employed at the US Open and the Miami Masters, meaning fans should expect this year's 1000-level event to be faster than usual.

Carlos Alcaraz, two-time defending champion, was seemingly perplexed by the move to Laykold if his recent comments to the media are anything to go by. In that context, Sabalenka and Rybakina also fielded questions regarding the surface during their respective press conferences on Tuesday, March 5.

Sabalenka insisted that the surface speed had become "a little bit faster" after the organizers changed the surface provider, and she "loved them."

"I love them. They're a little bit faster, which is good for me, right? No, but it feels good, feels good so far. I'll tell you later after my first match. I hope I'll still like it," Sabalenka said.

And while Rybakina didn't feel the speed of the hardcourts in Indian Wells had amped up by much, the Kazakh did note that the bounce was a "little bit lower" compared to the previous editions of the Palm Springs event.

"Well, I feel that it's not much faster, but I will say maybe the bounce a little bit lower. The past few days were, like, very windy and a lot of sun came, so it's also a bit different, the bounce. But I think the court's still nice," Rybakina said.

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Aryna Sabalenka looking to win her maiden title at Indian Wells

Aryna Sabalenka reached Indian Wells final in 2023 | Image Source: Getty

Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, will be eager to go all the way at the BNP Paribas Open this fortnight. The Belarusian has played at the WTA 1000 tournament five times in her career.

Out of those five, Sabalenka finished runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023 and exited before the quarterfinals in 2018-19, 2022 and 2024.

Sabalenka will also extend her lead as the World No. 1 if she manages to secure the Indian Wells trophy this year. She stands at 9,076 WTA ranking points — which is over 1,000 points more than the tally of her second-ranked archrival, Iga Swiatek.