Aryna Sabalenka “probably deserves” to be world No 1 ahead of Iga Swiatek, believes former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez.
Sabalenka reclaimed the top ranking from Swiatek last month and finished 2024 as the WTA year-end world No 1 following her run to the semi-finals of the WTA Finals.
The Belarusian has won two majors in 2024 compared to just one such triumph for Swiatek, though the Pole’s haul of five WTA titles is marginally ahead of Sabalenka’s tally of four.
However, Swiatek missed the entirety of the Asian swing following her US Open quarter-final exit and split from coach Tomasz Wiktorowski – which opened the door for her chief rival at a crucial juncture.
Speaking ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, former world No 2 Martinez said she believed Sabalenka had earned her status as the world’s best player.
“Right now, it’s clear that they are the dominant players,” said the Spaniard.
“Iga was very dominant by a lot of points for a while, even though Aryna was very close.
“There are a lot of great players out there that can do very well. It depends on so many things but Iga was dominating, and I really liked her consistency.
“I really like how Aryna has gotten so much better in many aspects of her game, fixing her serve, also her forehand is very powerful.
“She’s been playing finals, winning tournaments, so she probably deserves to be there, because Iga didn’t play for a couple of months.”
The last time neither Swiatek nor Sabalenka were world No 1 was back in April 2022, when Ashleigh Barty held the top spot until her sudden retirement.
Though Coco Gauff rose to world No 2 for a short spell this summer, Swiatek and Sabalenka have largely occupied the top two spots on the WTA Rankings over the past two years.
However, Martinez believes Gauff and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina could break their stranglehold at the top in 2025.
She added: “They [Sabalenka and Swiatek] are the players to watch, but there are other players like Coco who is playing amazing tennis at the moment.
“She’s playing so great, so I think she can also do very well.
“Rybakina is up there if she can fix her health problems and play a lot of tournaments. She’s one player that has already won a Grand Slam and won many tournaments.
“There are other players that can do very well too – it’s going to be open like that.”
