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Aryna Sabalenka emerged as one of the most dominant players on the WTA Tour in 2024. Even so, others like Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff continue to hold their own against her. Rick Macci, the former coach of Serena Williams, said this week that Sabalenka can "dominate" the Tour, adding one area that will prove pivotal, in his opinion.
The legendary coach, who worked with players like the Williams sisters, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and others, has no doubts about Sabalenka's potential, but added one "wildcard." He took to X to say:
"If Sabalenka mentally stays locked loaded and ready to launch every point she could dominate. She has most explosive and complete firepower on the 3 big ticket items forehand backhand and Serve but the wildcard is how she handles her Nerve."
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The mental part that Macci mentioned has been cited before as the most crucial part of her game. The power in her shots has always been there, from the time she turned professional.
With time, Sabalenka has found the right balance in her approach and transformed herself into one of the best tennis players out there. If she can maintain that, then as Macci pointed out, she is likely to dominate the Tour for many years to come.
Aryna Sabalenka to face Renata Zarazua in first match of 2025
The first obstacle towards domination which Macci sees in the future for Aryna Sabalenka is Renata Zarazúa. The Mexican player isn't close to the level of Sabalenka, but she's improved considerably in the past year to become a respectable player who can not only play on the WTA Tour but actually win on it as well.
She bested Viktoriya Tomova in the first round and now she gets a chance to take on Sabalenka, who went to the final at this event in January this year. Sabalenka will hope to get her 2025 season underway with a dominant win, which is very likely. She did that last year by losing only 3 games in the first match she played at the Brisbane event.
She's a player who enjoys an attacking style of tennis and likes to get off the court as soon as possible. It will be the first time she's facing Zarazúa, so there is a chance that she'll be surprised a bit by what the Mexican can produce. But overall, when you're one of the best players in the world with a superb record Down Under, you're expected to get off to a flying start.
