"Deserved and beautiful" - Victoria Azarenka, Boris Becker & others react to Aryna Sabalenka's ascent to World No. 1

Aryna Sabalenka rose to the top ranking spot of the WTA on Monday (September 11) following her runner-up finish at the 2023 US Open. She subsequently took to her Instagram post to express gratitude towards her fans and support circle.

The 25-year-old received rich plaudits from her colleagues and several other tennis personalities in the comments to her post. Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka remarked that she deserved the No. 1 position, while complimenting her dark green blazer outfit.

"Deserving and beautiful," Victoria Azarenka wrote in the comments.

A screen capture of the comments on Sabalenka's post

Six-time Major winner Boris Becker, meanwhile, also congratulated the Belarusian.

"Congratulations Aryna !!! You should be so proud of all your achievements so far...," Becker wrote.

A screen capture of the comments on Sabalenka's post

Elena Vesnina was especially fond of the outfit that Aryna Sabalenka wore to mark the joyous occasion.

"Congratulations, Aryna, the costume and the whole image are simply TOP," the Russian wrote, followed by a few emojis.

A screen capture of the comments on Sabalenka's post

Here are a few more reactions:

A screen capture of the comments on Sabalenka's post

A screen capture of the comments on Sabalenka's post

The Instagram handle of WTA also replied to Aryna Sabalenka's post

A screen capture of the comments on Sabalenka's post

Aryna Sabalenka has arguably been the best player on the WTA tour in 2023

Aryna Sabalenka poses with the 2023 Australian Open trophy

Aryna Sabalenka has recorded a 50-11 win-loss record so far this season. The 25-year-old has won three titles in 2023, which came at the 2023 Australian Open, the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, and the 500-level event in Adelaide.

The Belarusian has also reached the semifinals of all four Majors in 2023, which further helped her in ascending to the World No. 1 position. Apart from these results, she finished as the runner-up in New York, Stuttgart and Indian Wells, losing to Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, respectively.

The newly-minted No. 1's next-best results came at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She reached the semifinals at both Major tournaments, losing to Karolina Muchova and Ons Jabeur, respectively.

The Belarusian has exited a WTA tour event before the quarterfinals only thrice in 2023. She lost in the third round of the Canadian Open to Liudmila Samsonova, the second round of the WTA 500 tournament in Berlin to Veronika Kudermetova and the second round of the Italian Open to Sofia Kenin.

Currently, Aryna Sabalenka has a WTA rankings tally of 9,266 points. She is 1,071 points clear of World No. 2 Swiatek and will be looking to further solidify her grip on the top-ranking position during the fall season.