Aryna Sabalenka will have to manage the pressure of being the hunted player after overtaking Iga Swiatek at No. 1, according to former US Open semifinalist Coco Vandeweghe.
After last year's US Open, Sabalenka had a brief spell at No. 1. Swiatek reclaimed the top ranking by winning the 2023 WTA Finals, including a victory against her rival in the semifinals in Cancun.
The Pole remained in that position for 50 weeks, becoming the seventh woman in tennis history to have multiple spells of 50 weeks or more at the top of the WTA rankings.
Sabalenka was set to overtake Swiatek ahead of this year's WTA Finals when the four-time French Open champion dropped the points she earned from winning last year's year-end tournament.
However, Sabalenka moved ahead of Swiatek because of a controversial WTA rule that top players must play at least six WTA-500 events despite the increase in two-week Masters-1000 tournaments.
Neither woman met that rule, and they were penalized by having the points from their lowest-earning tournament removed. Swiatek dropped 120 points from reaching the fourth round of the Miami Open, which allowed Sabalenka to overtake her.
Unfortunately for Swiatek, the same rule will see her lose 195 more points before the WTA Finals, compared to just 65 for Sabalenka. That reduces the 23-year-old's chances of stopping the Belarusian finishing as the year-end No. 1 at the ATP Finals.
One source of hope for Swiatek is that her rival did not get over the line at the year-end tournament last year. The pressure of being No. 1 differs from trying to move ahead of a player who has occupied the position for a lengthy period.
Vandeweghe, who reached a career-high of No. 9, told the Tennis Channel's Inside-In Podcast that she is excited to observe how Sabalenka handles being hunted after Swiatek held that position for so long.
"Where you see people playing that are trying to get some momentum back, I’m going to drop Iga in that list, I’m going to drop Jessie Pegula in that list – even though Jessie made the finals [of the US Open]. Because they have a sour taste in their mouth from a loss that they think maybe they shouldn’t have had."
"Aryna is the hunted and it’s also: what is she going to do with that big target on her back? For so long it’s been Iga that’s had that big target on her back and everyone’s chasing Iga to take that No 1 ranking, to beat her on the biggest stages."
"Now, Sabalenka’s going to have that mantle, and what’s she going to be able to do with it? Can she hold onto that? Can she step up to that occasion?"
Sabalenka will likely believe in her ability to handle the pressure. She learned from losing the 2023 US Open to the home favorite Coco Gauff by playing an outstanding match to overcome Jessica Pegula, also an American, in this year's final.
The current No. 1 proved her ability to learn from the past, and that should help the 26-year-old at the WTA Finals.
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