“Iga Swiatek pushed us to be better, now Aryna Sabalenka stepped it up” – Jessica Pegula praises Belarusian after first year-end World No. 1 finish

Jessica Pegula has showered rich praise on Aryna Sabalenka following the latter solidifying her first-ever year-end World No. 1 finish in the WTA rankings. The American believes that the Belarusian fits into the mold of Iga Swiatek, who pushed the entire women’s field to improve in the early 2020s with her results and dynamic playing style.

Sabalenka began her second stint as the top-ranked player on the WTA Tour in the last week of October after her arch-rival Swiatek dropped 120 ranking points due to not playing enough mandatory 500-level tournaments this year. The 26-year-old subsequently sealed her first career year-end World No. 1 finish at this week’s WTA Finals after winning her first two matches.
In that context, the media team of Roland Garros asked World No. 6 Pegula to give her thoughts on Sabalenka. The American asserted that Sabalenka was similar to Swiatek when it came to pushing their peers to play better. She also praised the newly-minted No. 1 over the big improvements in her game over the last few months.

“I’ve been so impressed by Aryna Sabalenka this year. Obviously, Iga has pushed us to be better. Now she’s kind of stepped it up and showing, ‘Hey, now I’m pushing everybody else to be better’. And I just feel like she’s gotten a lot better,” Jessica Pegula told Roland Garros. “She’s become such a more complete player. It seems like, mentally, she’s just dialled in and has figured it out. Her serve, which used to be her biggest liability at times, is now her best weapon on court.”

Pegula also gave kudos to the three-time major winner for the season that she put together in 2024.

“So I think it’s motivating, and it’s inspiring, in a way, to see how much better she’s gotten,” she added. “I really have a lot of respect for the year that she’s had.”