As the 2025 WTA season approaches, tennis experts are divided on who will dominate the year. Two-time Grand Slam finalist Alex Corretja has confidently predicted that Elena Rybakina will win the 2025 Australian Open and end the season as world No. 1. His forecast is largely based on the Kazakh’s powerful game and impressive potential.
However, Mats Wilander, a tennis great, disagrees. He believes Aryna Sabalenka is “a lot better” than Rybakina. Sabalenka had a standout 2024 season, finishing as the year-end No. 1, securing her first Australian Open and US Open titles, and capturing four titles in total. The Belarusian, now a three-time major champion, has firmly established herself as one of the WTA’s best players.
Meanwhile, Rybakina, currently ranked fifth, had a challenging year in 2024. Though she won three WTA 500 titles and reached two WTA 1000 finals, she struggled with health issues, including withdrawals during several tournaments. Despite this, Rybakina has hired Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach, a move that has sparked hopes for a strong comeback in 2025.
Iga Swiatek, the 2024 French Open champion and world No. 2, also remains a top contender, having accumulated five titles this year. Swiatek’s consistency and dominance on clay have cemented her place as a key player to watch. Another potential challenger for No. 1 is Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion and world No. 3. At just 20 years old, Gauff has shown significant growth and will be looking to continue her rise in 2025.
As the WTA prepares for a new season, experts are excited about the fierce competition at the top of the rankings, with each of these top players aiming to make their mark in 2025.
Elena Rybakina in 2024
Ranked world no.6, Elena played her last match on the 16th of November when she beat world no.352 Sohyun Park 6-2 6-2 in the Rubber 2 in KOR 3 (draw).
Currently, during this season Rybakina has a 43-11 match record. Rybakina conquered 3 titles in 2024 in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart. Rybakina got to the final in Doha and Miami.
Elena Rybakina will face the world no.32 Maria Sakkari in the Round Robin. Their head to head is 3-1 for Rybakina.
Elena conquered 3 titles in 2024 in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart. Elena got to the final in Doha (Qatar TotalEnergies Open) and in Miami (Miami Open).
Elena won 8 titles in her career: 4 on hard courts, 3 on clay courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)
Iga Swiatek in 2024
At the moment ranked no.2, Swiatek played her last match on the 18th of November when she beat world no.4 Jasmine Paolini 3-6 6-4 6-4 in the Rubber 2 in (draw).
This season Iga has managed to achieve a compiled 64-9 record. Iga conquered 6 titles in 2024 in Australia, Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and French Open.
Iga Swiatek will face the world no.22 Karolina Muchova in the Round Robin. Their actual record is 2-1 for Swiatek.
The Pole clinched 6 titles in 2024 in Australia, Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and French Open.
Iga won 23 titles in her career: 13 on hard courts and 10 on clay courts. (See the list of her titles)
Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek clashed against each other 6 times. Their current head to head is 4-2 for Rybakina. Previously, the last time they played each other, Elena Rybakina won 6-3 4-6 6-3 in the semifinal in Stuttgart (Porsche Tennis Grand Prix) on the 20th of April 2024.
Here the video highlights.
Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek |
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