Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka have ended the season as the world number one player on the ATP and WTA Tour.
Alcaraz’s incredible season on the ATP Tour saw him win Roland Garros and the US Open, as well as six other titles.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, managed to fend off Iga Swiatek and stay top of the pile by winning the US Open, the Madrid Open, and the Miami Open.
The two world number ones have been praised by Alize Cornet for the way they’ve tackled their schedules in 2025.
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka praised for the balance they’ve found this season
Speaking on the Roland Garros podcast, former pro Cornet shared praise for Sabalenka and Alcaraz’s work-life balance.
She explained: “It feels like she’s the new generation of tennis players that also take care of their mental health and not only of their professional career.
“It feels like she wants to more than anything in the world, but she also wants to be happy. She wants to lay down in the Maldives and have fun. There’s a time for everything.
“I think that’s a very healthy approach to tennis. This era of players that have been suffering and living only for tennis and sacrificing everything is over.
Carlos Alcaraz WILL complete the Career Grand Slam before Jannik Sinner – discuss…
“Now we have these players that give everything to their sport, but also want to have a healthy life aside. I think it’s great. It’s our number one in the world, so it means it can work.”
Cornet believes Alcaraz has done similar to Sabalenka after taking several breaks between tournaments in 2025.
She explained: “It’s funny because we have the same thing in the men’s with Carlos Alcaraz, enjoying himself, going to Ibiza, and being also a young man who wants to live sometimes because there is a lot of sacrifices and compromises, but there can be also some fun moments.
“I think juggling with these two parts of your life is something not easy, but they manage to do both and to do it great. It’s good news for players.”
Both players have taken mid-season holidays, with Sabalenka taking a break after her US Open win and Alcaraz doing the same after he won Roland Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka aren’t skipping exhibition events either
Although they have taken breaks throughout the season, Alcaraz and Sabalenka have also signed up to high-profile exhibition events before the 2026 season starts.
Alcaraz will play two events this December before he looks to achieve the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard will play Joao Fonseca in Miami, Florida and Frances Tiafoe in Newark, New Jersey in the ATP Tour’s off-season.
Sabalenka is set for an even bigger match in the off-season, as she stars in the revitalised ‘Battle of the Sexes’ against Nick Kyrgios.
Perhaps Alcaraz and Sabalenka’s mid-season breaks have allowed them to take on these financially rewarding exhibitions.
