Aryna Sabalenka was the most effective power player on the WTA Tour in 2023, firing the most winners with 1,922.
According to Opta, the Belarusian powerhouse nudged ahead of fellow big hitters Jelena Ostapenko and Caroline Garcia, who occupy the Top 3 spots in this category, each recording 1,832 and 1,829 winners, respectively. Of her 1,922 winners, Sabalenka registered 404 aces - the third most on tour.
The record for the most aces in 2023 belonged to Garcia, who tallied 462 clean service winners, beating Elena Rybakina to that title for the second year in a row. The Kazakh also features in the Top 5 list for the most winners by WTA players with 1,556.
Russia's Liudmila Samsonova came up in fifth spot managing an impressive 1,463. Unsurprisingly, the list has been dominated by the most aggressive ball strikers on tour, who are always bundled with a point-ending shot. These players' risk appetite is far greater than normal counterpunchers.
All five players in the list of most winners are ranked in the world's Top 20, highlighting the gulf in quality between them and those ranked outside it. Winners are decisive in high-pressure points and these players have showcased their excellence in being the most efficient from the baseline.
Sabalenka played 69 matches this year and was unquestionably one of the top-performing WTA players by a mile. She would have finished as the year-end No. 1, had it not been for the startling run that Iga Swiatek managed to pull out of the hat so late in the season.
The World No. 2 had by far the best record in Grand Slams, managing to reach at least the semifinal or better in all four tournaments. She won the Australian Open in January - her first Slam in singles - and was a set away from winning the US Open but for Coco Gauff's heroics.
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