Aryna Sabalenka has often been compared to Serena Williams in how she plays, but while John McEnroe can see why, he doesn't think the Belarusian is on that level.
While she won the third Grand Slam trophy of her career at the 2024 US Open, Sabalenka has to achieve a lot more if she wants to be in the same sentence as Serena Williams. The reason why the two are being compared right now is because of their play style.
Sabalenka's play style is very similar to Serena Williams' because she has a devastating serve and hits the ball hard every time that she plays. It's an impressive skill set, which is good enough to be one of the most dominant tennis players on the WTA Tour.
Whether it's on an all-time best level is debatable, but McEnroe has his opinion. He doesn't think that Sabalenka is on the level of Williams, but he believes that she's a wonderful tennis player who deserves tons of respect for what she's been able to do.
Her talent was never in doubt, but over the years, she's certainly improved upon that and became an even better tennis player.
"Sabalenka has improved her movement, but I don’t think that she is at the same level as Serena when she was at her best. Obviously, we are talking about two of the biggest hitters that have ever been in the women’s game, but I would take Serena to beat her still."
"I have a huge amount of respect for Sabalenka. She has improved her game and that is why she is finally winning majors and contending in every event she is in."
There have been some special hitters in tennis over the years, but the fact that McEnroe singled out Sabalenka together with Williams as two of the greatest just speaks of how much he respects the Belarusian
He's generally known as someone who backs the American players heavily, and his bias towards Williams is something he wouldn't ever deny. Whether Sabalenka ever gets to that level remains to be seen, but there will be time for her.
She's done a really good job at improving as a player in recent years, and with the way that her career has been trending in recent years, it doesn't seem likely that she will suddenly stop succeeding.
Her level, as it is, is already quite overwhelming for the majority of players, but there is never a reason to stop improving. She certainly doesn't lack passion for the sport, nor does she lack commitment to it.
With the hunger she has, she'll certainly improve further, and then when everything is said and done, we can probably compare. Just being mentioned in the same sentence as Serena Williams so early in her career certainly speaks volumes for the World No. 2 player.
Williams herself has praised Sabalenka in the past but the Belarusian was amused with the comparison out of the sheer respect she has for Williams, who inspired her like so many other players.
0 Comments