Aryna Sabalenka’s coach answers if she is ‘best’ player in the world
Aryna Sabalenka’s coach Anton Dubrov believes the world No 2 is currently the best player in the world due to her ability to bounce back from setbacks.
Under the guidance of Dubrov, Sabalenka has reached four Grand Slam finals, winning three of them, and was the world No 1 for eight weeks in 2023.
Sabalenka is currently on an equal-best 15-match win streak, having reached the China Open quarter-finals following on from her Cincinnati Open and US Open triumphs.
That followed a tough spell where she was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a shoulder issue, and then initially struggled on her return.
And, while now a strong Slam performer, issues with her serve meant she failed to make the latter stages of a major for a lengthy period.
Speaking to Championat, Dubrov – who has worked with the Belarusian since 2020 – was directly asked if the three-time Slam champion was the best in the world.
And Dubrov revealed he believed the 26-year-old was currently the best, thanks to her mental fortitude.
“I would say yes,” he said. “There are a lot of internal things that maybe five people at most know about.
“Her ability to reboot, to better return to the match and regain focus when she wants to throw out this aggression, when she wants to freak out and scream…She has learned to better direct this into the fight, into motivation. This is the biggest improvement.
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“At some point, focus and attention fall, but you catch yourself and the ability to quickly get back on track [leads to] dominance.
“For some, it is five games, for others, five rallies, for others, five minutes, five seconds… The one who failed but immediately returned will win.
“For her, it will be one rally. If you are ready to accept the fact that there will be a decline, it will be uncomfortable, and you catch yourself on this and continue to do the right things, then at least you will not fade away – but will fight.”
Sabalenka will look to make it a record 16 match wins in a row when she takes on Karolina Muchova in the last eight of the China Open on Friday.
The Belarusian is yet to drop a set in Beijing and has dropped just one set across her 15 wins, though the resurgent Czech will likely prove a difficult challenge.
Muchova leads the head-to-head 2-1 and has won their last two matches, beating the world No 2 in the 2023 French Open and Cincinnati Open semi-finals.
Victory for Sabalenka would see her better her 2023 quarter-final showing in Beijing, and shrink the points gap between her and world No 1 Iga Swiatek.
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