From Rybakina's serve to Ash Barty's slice: Aryna Sabalenka builds the perfect player

Aryna Sabalenka was asked in a press conference about the players with the best shots on tour. The World No. 1 selected five Grand Slam champions, choosing the best serve, forehand, backhand, and more.

The three-time major champion recently secured her place in the third round at Indian Wells, after defeating McCartney Kessler 7-6, 6-3, showing improvements since her early exits in Doha and Dubai.

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After overcoming local Kessler, the Belarusian was asked to pick the best shots from players who have been her rivals, and she selected several Grand Slam champions from recent years.

Sabalenka picked 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina as the player with the best serve. The Kazakh is second in the ace record over the last 52 weeks (338), just behind China's Zheng Qinwen (388). Rybakina also wins 78.6% of her service games, only behind Iga Swiatek (80.6%).

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For the best forehand, Sabalenka chose Madison Keys, the recent Australian Open champion who delivered one of the most lethal forehands on tour. The American ended a 20-match winning streak of Sabalenka's in Melbourne and surprisingly won her first major title, more than seven years after her first Grand Slam final.

In the backhand category, Sabalenka went with American Coco Gauff, who defeated her in the 2023 US Open final, where Gauff, at just 19, claimed her first major title after coming back from a set down. Another player Sabalenka selected was her great rival, Iga Swiatek, whom she considered the best in "return of serve."

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Finally, for volley and slice, Sabalenka chose a former rival who has now retired: the three-time Grand Slam champion Ash Barty, who was world No. 1 for several months with Sabalenka as No. 2. In fact, just weeks before Barty's retirement, Sabalenka was ranked second, but Barty retired after Swiatek won the Miami Open, allowing the Polish player to claim the World No. 1 spot and leaving Sabalenka empty-handed.

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