Aryna Sabalenka, and one key struggle she is facing, has now been compared to a similar issue that Martina Navratilova faced early on in her career too.
It was Pam Shriver who proposed this likeness, after watching the Belarusian Wimbledon exit at the hands of Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals.
There, she was second-best throughout the match, but kept things close purely due to her unrivalled talent and strong mentality.
Alas, it was arguably the latter that gave way in the third set, which allowed the American to storm to victory.
That is a problem she will want fixed immediately.
Aryna Sabalenka compared to Martina Navratilova
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast just last night, Shriver was hugely insightful in her review of Aryna Sabalenka’s Wimbledon semi-final and tournament as a whole.
And, in doing so, she actually made a legendary comparison between the Belarusian and Navratilova, which should give her promise for the future.
After all, she is supposedly struggling with a very similar issue that the 18-time singles Grand Slam champion did, who clearly went on to turn things around.
Shriver stated: “Perhaps, because I think she felt like her power could just take her to wins all the time, but then you think what she’s done. We talked about her earlier, adding certain shots. So this becomes more decisions that she has to make, how she’s going to play. When is she going to play the drop shot? When is she going to try a slice? When is she going to maybe move to the net?
“So her learning to make smart decisions late in these huge matches can improve. I saw it improve with Navratilova.
“You know, she was a player that really struggled dealing with pressure late in big matches until she won here for the first time in ’78, and then she went on to win 18 total singles majors.
“I’m not saying Sabalenka is going to do that, but I see certain similarities in their physical nature, their power, and their emotions can sometimes get the better of them.”
The pressure ramps up on Aryna Sabalenka’s US Open campaign
With this latest failure to capture another Grand Slam title, you can’t help but feel like the pressure on Sabalenka’s US Open campaign is going to reach an all-time high.
After all, as the undisputed world number one, to go throughout an entire calendar year without winning a major will really frustrate someone of her quality.
When mentally and physically sound, there’s no one on tour who can compete with her explosive power and accuracy.
But, the former will certainly be challenged when she returns to New York as the defending champion, fresh from controversy after the French Open final. Sabalenka’s comments about Coco Gauff will not be received well by the American crowd, and that could contribute to an already increasing anxiety surrounding that event.
Hopefully, she can refocus over the next few months to prepare accordingly.
But, with two Grand Slam final losses and another now in the semi-finals just this year, such high-profile defeats must be taking their toll on the 27-year-old.
