Aryna Sabalenka has been too overwhelming for all of her opponents at the 2024 US Open so far, and it’s not a surprise, because she’s hitting the ball harder than Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.
The Belarusian player plays with a lot of power. It’s why she’s been called a mini-Serena at times because, at moments, it does look like Serena Williams is smashing the ball out there.
What made the former player as legendary as she was was the power she could put in her shots while not losing any precision. It’s not very common in women’s tennis, even though more and more players are adopting that hard-hitting style that she was known for.
Sabalenka is certainly the player with the most power these days, as she’s overwhelming opponents fairly comfortably. She’s the top favorite to win the US Open simply because she’s been in really good shape in recent weeks while also hitting the ball as hard as she ever has.
The court in New York plays relatively fast, which certainly helps her, but Sabalenka didn’t let the court take all the credit after her most recent win.
She reminded that she plays well on hard courts and clay courts, which is true. However, the common denominator in all of those is her, not the court speed.
“Definitely the speed of the court. The game is much faster. Probably rallies are a bit shorter. Hard court really helps my serve. Lots of benefits. But let’s not forget I can also play well on clay and grass courts.”
What’s interesting to note is the power she puts into her shots. While it was always overwhelming for the majority of players, a recent stat from the US Open showed that Sabalenka is hitting the ball the hardest among all players.
That also includes ATP players because Sabalenka is hitting her topspin forehand on average at 80 mph. That is ahead of Carlos Alcaraz, who was hitting it at 79 mph, Jannik Sinner at 78 mph, and Novak Djokovic at 76 mph.
Sabalenka is the only woman who can hit that fast, and it’s a fascinating stat showing just how overwhelming she has been in recent weeks. When asked about that, the World No. 2 player on the WTA Tour found it quite funny and a little bit uncomfortable, but it’s winning her matches, so she will not change it.
“I saw my stats on my forehand and I actually can’t believe it’s that fast. It felt even kind of uncomfortable being at the top and even hitting harder than guys. That’s a really interesting stat.”
Power has always been at the center of what she does as a player, but what has changed in recent years is her putting the ball into the court consistently. Before, she used to hit the ball hard, but lots of those balls used to fly wide.
Almost all of her balls these days are dropping into the court, and it’s made all the difference.
