Aryna Sabalenka embraced the Big 3 label for herself, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina, during a great run at the 2024 Madrid Open.
The Big Three label is famously associated with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. That will forever remain the proper Big Three, but it’s not exclusive to tennis. It’s generally used in any sport for three athletes who are simply head and shoulders above everyone else.
In women’s tennis, it’s been floated recently for Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina. While both Swiatek and Rybakina expressed discomfort with the label, Sabalenka has now embraced it because it motivates her.
Realistically, those three players have been above the rest of the field for quite a while. Coco Gauff elevates and drops off here and there, but those three have been rather consistent for over a year now. When it comes to Sabalenka, she is accepting of the label; it motivates her.
“I like that they call us the Big 3, I feel that in some way we are motivating each other. Sometimes we give ourselves a very hard time, but at the same time that helps us improve and continue working harder and harder, looking for new things.”
“Now I’ve just been away for a few tournaments, so we’ll see how everything evolves, this has only been one specific tournament. I hope the season continues along this path and we become the Big 3 again.”
If we look at the performances of the ‘Big Three’ this year, Rybakina has been the most impressive. She’s up to 30 wins in 35 matches this year which is an 85 % winning percentage.
She’s actually won the most matches out of all players on the WTA Tour, which is an impressive feat from the Kazakhstani player, who has occasionally struggled with her health this year.
