Aryna Sabalenka would usually head to Wimbledon as a justifiable favourite, but this year seems different.
The world number one, so often a mainstay in the business end of almost every tournament she enters, seems to have lost their air of invincibility that she had gained over years of incredible consistency.
Particularly on grass, her shortcomings become even more apparent, with Jessica Pegula painfully exposing them in their recent showdown in Berlin.
With that result, it has now become clear what Aryna Sabalenka lacks. If she has genuine title aspirations at Wimbledon, she has just a week left to add it to her game.
Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t have a Plan B
When the going gets tough, Sabalenka falters.
Mentally, she is so strong, and has all the physical and technical assets to overpower anyone on the WTA Tour.
However, when the conditions are against her, that is when her unflinching mentality stumbles.
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This is born from the simple fact that the Belarusian lacks a plan B when things aren’t going her way, as she continues to just try and smash her way out of trouble.
At times, this can prove profitable. However, Pegula and Diana Shnaider have recently shown how it can swing dramatically in the other direction.
Both inflicted a 6-0 scoreline in deciding sets against Sabalenka, who suffered a combined tally of 98 unforced errors across those matches.
It’s clear that Sabalenka has a clear problem ahead of Wimbledon, and the solution is one that can only be constructed alongside her team off the practice court.
Aryna Sabalenka needs to make a change if she wants to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon
It’s no surprise that Sabalenka enjoys so much more success on the hard courts than she does the natural surfaces, particularly grass.
After all, the bounce of a hard court is uniform and predictable. She can set herself and strike the ball with minimal deviation, resulting in maximum power. The ball is past her opponents before they can even react.
However, that is sadly not the case for either clay or grass.
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On these surfaces, it can kick up, stay low or shoot dramatically to the left or right, which can leave Sabalenka with her feet planted and swinging recklessly. This results in so many more unforced errors.
It’s clear that on these surfaces, and particularly when the wind picks up, she needs to revert to a simpler style where she moves her feet more and plays far safer.
It’s no use trying to paint the lines when she is hitting balls that are moving with such volatility. Until this is added to her game, it feels unlikely that Sabalenka will ever win Wimbledon.
