Andy Roddick picks who he thinks has had the best year out of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka
They have been pushing each other to raise their game all season, and the year-end number one position is now on the line.
Swiatek and Sabalenka‘s performances at the WTA Finals will be crucial in where they finish in what has been an entertaining season.
Does Andy Roddick think Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka had a better 2024?
Both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka share nine WTA Tour titles between them in 2024. While Swiatek claimed a fourth French Open title, Sabalenka successfully defended the Australian Open title and also secured the US Open crown.
The pair have played three times in 2024, with Swiatek winning the clay court meetings and Sabalenka taking the hard court matchup.
Tennis fans have enjoyed comparing the progress of Swiatek and Sabalenka in 2024, and Andy Roddick used his ‘Served podcast’ to name who he thinks has had a better season.
“Props to Sabalenka. Iga actually won the No. 1 ranking from her at the World Tour Finals (WTA Finals) last year,” the American said.
“We often treat it as if Iga has been No 1, and she has been for the large part of it, but she had to win two matches on the trot to keep the No 1 ranking at the end of last year. It feels like we’re on the same track.
“I like that she’s gotten to that point in her career where she’s taking the long view on this. She’s not in a rush to get it back. It’s obviously not a priority for her.
“She’s done it before so that helps, right? Props to Sabalenka for winning all of it and just her year in general. I think she’s player of the year regardless of how the rankings shake out.”
How did Aryna Sabalenka take the World number one ranking from Iga Swiatek?
In October, Sabalenka regained the World number one ranking after 11 months away from the summit of the WTA Tour.
She began to close in on the top spot after winning the Cincinnati Open in August, and defeated Swiatek on the way to the title. Sabalenka backed up this victory by dropping just one set on the way to winning the US Open for the first time.
Swiatek has not played since her last eight appearance in New York, and during that time Sabalenka reached the China Open quarter-finals.
While she gained ranking points, Swiatek lost points after not defending her title in the Chinese capital, and Sabalenka gained even more after winning her third Wuhan Open title.
Sabalenka now holds a slender 41-point lead over Swiatek at the top of the WTA rankings, and it will be all to play for at WTA Finals in November.
