Tim Henman sends warning to Aryna Sabalenka’s rivals as he highlights ‘huge’ momentum shift
Aryna Sabalenka’s rivals have been told that it will “take an amazing performance to beat her” with Tim Henman stating “she is the player to beat” on the WTA Tour following her incredible run at the Australian Open.
Just a few months after she lost the US Open final against Coco Gauff in three sets, Sabalenka returned to Grand Slam-winning ways as she successfully defended her Australian Open crown.
The 25-year-old was in dominating form at Melbourne Park as she didn’t lose a single set en route to lifting the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. In fact, she dropped only 31 sets during the entire tournament.
Although her victory was not good enough to help her replace Iga Swiatek at No 1 in the WTA Rankings, Henman feels she is currently the best in the business in the women’s game.
“Sabalenka might not be the No 1 in the world but she is the player to beat,” the former world No 4 turned tennis pundit told Sky Sports News.
“Iga Swiatek has had amazing results and she deserves to be No 1 in the world but with the momentum and confidence Sabalenka has, it’s going to take an amazing performance to beat her.”
READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka ‘has every right to think she’s the best player in the world’, says former world No 1
Sabalenka exacted her US Open final revenge on Gauff in the semi-final as she beat the American 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 before blowing Qinwen Zheng away in the final with a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Former British No 1 Henman added: “That win for Sabalenka against Gauff was huge because she lost to her in the US Open final when she’d been up a set and a break, and Gauff was able to turn it around.”
Four-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff as well as Elena Rybakina – who is yet to win a major with her best performance a runners-up finish at last year’s Australian Open – appear to have “separated themselves” from the rest of the pack on the WTA Tour and Henman says the rivalries between the top players are important for the sport.
“When you reflect a couple of years ago on WTA it was so unpredictable, you could probably give 15 or 20 female players that could win a Grand Slam,” he continued.
“Now I look at it and think the top four have kind of separated themselves, they’re all major winners playing in the biggest and best events.
“Building those rivalries up is so important and that’s what we’re going to have the opportunity to see.”
