MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 25: Aryna Sabalenka throws her smashed racquet after her defeat by … [+]
The top three women’s players in tennis haven’t exactly got off to a flyer in 2025. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are flatlining and faltering after Madison Keys shook up the world order by claiming the Australian Open last month.
Keys is now sixth in the world rankings and eyeing a return to the circuit at Indian Wells after suffering from a leg injury that ruled her out of the Middle Eastern swing. If the American is watching from the sidelines, she might fancy her chances of another upset soon as Sabalenka and Gauff were both knocked out early in Qatar and Dubai.
Sabalenka was brutally honest in her initial appraisal. “I believe that I’m not that hungry on court. I’m kind of all over the place in my thoughts and not consistent on the court. The decisions I’m making on the court are a bit wrong and emotionally, I’m not on my best,” said the World No. 1 after she lost to Clara Tauson of Denmark in Dubai. Sabalenka cited that it has been a perennial problem to perform post-Australia since she won in Doha in 2020 and that it might be time for her team to look at that issue
Sabalenka’s reaction after losing to Keys in Melbourne was one of epic frustration, smashing her racket and leaving the court to prepare for an impressive runner-up speech. It was a lost opportunity to cement her total dominance in majors. It has certainly taken the wind out of the Belarusian’s sails. The 26-year-old admitted that the Australian Open had taken a lot out of her.
Iga Swiatek had a deeper run in the defense of her Qatar Open title last week before being hammered by Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals. Swiatek is vulnerable to big hitters and even more so against Ostapenko who holds a 5-0 career record over the Pole.
The 6-3 6-1 scoreline was the World No. 2’s worst loss in two years, especially abrupt after a 15-match winning streak at Doha. While Sabalenka blamed herself more than anything else, Swiatek again took aim at the WTA calendar as an explanation for the exits of so many top-ranked players. “Again, like, we need to switch continents, we need to switch surfaces, we need to switch the balls. Yeah, it’s not easy,” she said after her defeat to 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the last eight at Dubai.
“I feel like I under-performed. For sure I need to talk with my team a bit and plan the next weeks a bit differently ’cause I haven’t had much time to practice before these tournaments,” the four-time French Open champion remarked after the match. Swiatek also held a match point against Keys in the semifinals at Melbourne, so there’s a level of frustration carried over that adds to the fatigue. The 23-year-old has already talked about the mental effect her one-month doping ban had on her after the ITIA accepted the presence of trimetazidine was caused by contamination of a medicine taken for jet lag.
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 18: Coco Gauff of the United States reacts while playing … [+]
If anyone was entering the 2025 season with a Tigger bounce, it was Coco Gauff. Fresh from a superb WTA finals win in Riyadh, the American was fancied to compete hard in Melbourne. Her 13-match winning streak was ended prematurely by Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals. The 20-year-old hasn’t quite discovered her major mojo despite her 2023 U.S. Open win.
She was beaten by fellow American McCartney Kessler, ranked 53, in the second round at Dubai on top of her last 32 defeat by Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in Doha. After a breakneck start to the year at the United Cup, Gauff is falling back into habitual serving issues which are impacting her follow-up play. How quickly certainty becomes indecision in top-level sport.
Life is hard for those favorites who don’t win the first major of the year. Sabalenka and Swiatek’s smashed rackets are evidence of that. The French Open is a long wait to put things right.
