Jessica Pegula, on What Makes Aryna Sabalenka a Freakish Force at the Top of the Women’s Game

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 15, 2025

It’s no secret that Aryna Sabalenka is the most effective laborious courtroom participant within the ladies’s sport proper now. She’s gained 16 consecutive matches at laborious courtroom majors and is bidding to turn into the primary lady to win three consecutive titles on the Australian Open since 1999.

She’s gone 47-9 on the floor because the begin of 2024.

However what makes the World No.1 so darn unstoppable? Jessica Pegula, who can also be by way of to the third spherical in Australia gave her take after her second-round win over Elise Mertens.

The place to start out? How concerning the serve, says the seventh-seeded American.

“Earlier than she used to have an enormous serve, however now way more management, way more constant,” Pegula mentioned. “That variable that you simply sort of hope would go off does not actually appear to go off as a lot anymore.”

Then there’s the footwork.

“I feel her motion’s gotten lots higher,” Pegula added.

After which there’s her willingness so as to add contact and really feel to her blistering energy sport.

“Clearly she’s a brilliant energy participant, can take the racquet out of your fingers typically,” Pegula opined. “I’ve seen she has began mixing in much more slices, dropshots, coming to the web.”

Current outcomes don’t lie, says Pegula. Sabalenka is elevating her degree and that’s the reason she is racking up wins.

“She’s actually gotten lots higher as a participant,” says Pegula, who might probably face Sabalenka within the semifinals if she is ready to navigate a tricky quarter that additionally options third-seeded Coco Gauff. “I feel that is why you are seeing these outcomes. She’s improved lots in loads of completely different features. Credit score to her and her group.”

Pegula says that gone are the times when Sabalenka would play patchy tennis and hand out loads of free factors when considered one of her photographs broke down. Now she can also be a pillar of consistency, and the Belarusian reads her personal sport properly sufficient to know what choices to make when one aspect shouldn’t be firing prefer it usually does.

“Earlier than I felt like once I would play her, you’d all the time are likely to know one thing would sort of break down, whether or not it was her motion or her fingers or her serve, no matter,” she mentioned. “Now that is not taking place as a lot. If one factor breaks down, she has possibly one thing else in her software shed that she will be able to now begin incorporating that you simply weren’t actually anticipating.

“I feel she’s simply turn into a extremely, actually full participant, but additionally has that energy sport the place she will be actually aggressive and take the match from you, which I feel is why she will get scorching for every week or two. It may be actually powerful, I feel she’s, yeah, only a actually full participant proper now.”