"For me, the dream scenario is a four-player rivalry — if everyone reaches their full potential" - Petkovic touts Swiatek and Gauff to breach gap to Sabalenka and Rybakina

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominate tennis on the ATP Tour, regularly competing for Grand Slams and Masters 1000 titles. This has not been the case as such on the women's side, although it seems that Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina may be starting to edge away from the rest to create their own rivalry. Andrea Petkovic is hopeful that this can stick, throwing in her dream top four.

Now into the top two in the world, Rybakina's rise in recent times has been extraordinary. Recognised by many as a class operator on the court, inconsistency and personal problems over the past few years have prevented the Kazakh from reaching her peak. Nevertheless, success in the WTA Finals and Australian Open against the world number one Sabalenka shows that she is here to stay. Sabalenka enjoyed the last laugh at Indian Wells, surviving a match point enroute to winning a third set tiebreak.

Petkovic believes that this is currently the main rivalry in women's tennis, with it duly needed. "Yes, I do think this is the main rivalry in women’s tennis right now," she said on the Tennis Channel. "I think that’s what women’s tennis was lacking — those recurring matchups where the top players face each other over and over again in big finals."

There were numerous winners on the WTA Tour last year in the big tournaments. The four Grand Slams and WTA Finals were won by five different players in 2025, with the likes of Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini and Victoria Mboko all tasting WTA 1000 success. It is a complete contrast to the men. "That was the one thing we didn’t have," Petkovic said. "We had top players winning consistently, and fewer surprises — for example, all eight seeds making the quarterfinals at the Australian Open this year, which hadn’t happened in 16 years. But this is what we needed — a real, defining rivalry."

While Alcaraz and Sinner seem to be light years ahead of their rivals at times, the German thinks this gap to Sabalenka and Rybakina can be breached by a few select players. "I wouldn’t make it a direct comparison to Alcaraz vs Sinner, though. I still think players like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and even Jessica Pegula can break through that rivalry more than others can on the men’s side. Part of that is the format — best-of-five sets in men’s tennis makes dominance more consistent. If the women played best-of-five, I think it might look different."

She focused on both Swiatek and Gauff. While not enduring their best spell in form, their quality is undeniable, and the prior results show it. "I think both Iga and Coco are in a bit of a transitional phase right now," she commented. "Once they return to their best level, I think we could see a four-player rivalry — a 'Big Four' on the women’s side."

Petkovic listed numerous factors that could implement this new 'Big Four'. Injuries, environment, and personal life could all come to bite them in the back. She also hinted that Anisimova and Pegula could also join this exclusive group. "I would put Amanda Anisimova slightly behind them for now, because she still needs to develop her defensive game." For the Dubai champion, age is against her. "Jessica Pegula is right there in terms of level, but she’s a little older — that’s probably why I’d leave her just outside that core group."

Sabalenka, Rybakina, Swiatek, Gauff - that is Petkovic's absolute dream for the top players on the WTA Circuit, consistently challenging each other in the biggest tournaments. "For me, the dream scenario is a four-player rivalry — if everyone reaches their full potential. That would be my fantasy for women’s tennis," she concluded.