"Seeing players excel under pressure is my favourite thing to witness": Andrea Petkovic in awe of Aryna Sabalenka’s US Open run

The 2025 US Open came to a close with familiar faces claiming the spotlight, but it was Aryna Sabalenka’s remarkable performance that captured the hearts of fans and former players alike. Andrea Petkovic, a former top-ten player and commentator, described Sabalenka’s 6-3, 7-6 display as a masterclass under pressure.

The former player started her newsletter saying, "We have done it. We have come to the end. A deep breath, a double portion of the blackest coffee on earth and a deep talk with a non-tennis-person – that’s what it will take to get over the last three weeks."

Petkovic noted how, despite every major tournament feeling fresh and new, "in the end, it was the same players competing for the trophy as we had at the tail end of Wimbledon. The Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova final was a Wimbledon semifinal re-match and then of course, we had Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.".

Commenting on the early upsets, she said, "Despite seeded players falling like leaves in the first week of a very autumny New York, we had the same ol’ people playing for the title once more." And of the men’s finalists, she admitted, "Are we bored yet of Sinncaraz? I am not. I love these guys dearly and I could watch them play each other every day of the week. Seeing Jannik’s red curls peek from under his hat and Carlos’ well-formed scalp through the shaved stubbles of hair gives me a strange form of comfort.".

Nonetheless, it was Sabalenka who truly stood out for Petkovic. "Still to me, the stand-out player of final’s weekend was Aryna Sabalenka," she wrote. While acknowledging Anisimova’s resilience, "Seeing how well Amanda had overcome her Wimbledon loss against Iga Swiatek… what she accomplished throughout this fortnight and how she turned the match around against a re-emergent Naomi Osaka was very impressive." Petkovic emphasized that, to her, Aryna shone brightest.

Returning to Sabalenka, Petkovic explained: "Despite Sinncaraz III, despite Naomi Osaka’s renaissance and despite Amanda’s amandaness – Aryna Sabalenka was the standout player to me during the last few days of the US Open. There was so much pressure on the world number one to win a major title in the last possible moment… UNLESS she got the US Open title.".

She highlighted Sabalenka’s tactical brilliance: "She was prepared for the match to come. Expecting the big, powerful groundstrokes of Amanda’s with a lower than usual stance, neutralising anything that came her way with a bit of spin on the forehand side and one knee almost touching the ground on the backhand. She was also serving tremendously well. Apart from a hiccup when serving for the match, it was a nearly perfect tennis performance."

Speaking about watching matches up close, she described the "whisper position," just behind the chair umpire, from which she observed Anisimova: "To see her ball-striking up close is a view to behold… Usually, the court slows struck tennis balls down, that’s just a law of physics. Yet for some reason, Amanda’s balls (particularly the backhand) pick up speed while they move over the concrete. At an average 77 miles per hour, Amanda’s backhand was the quickest of the tournament, followed by Jannik Sinner’s average backhand speed at 76 miles per hour. What in the speed of light world is this witch craftery?".

Overall, Andrea Petkovic’s reflections remind us why tennis continues to captivate: it is the moments when players rise under pressure, adapt, and deliver extraordinary performances that stay with us. For fans and commentators alike, the tournament was a reminder that in tennis, as in life, the thrill lies not just in victory, but in witnessing greatness unfold when it matters most.