"You could say this year is not the best one for her" - Former World No.1 assesses what went wrong for Sabalenka in turbulent 2026 campaign

2026 looked so promising for Aryna Sabalenka. An Australian Open final defeat was backed up by the Sunshine double, but since then she has failed to clinch any more silverware, with her recent defeat at the US Open showcasing the shift in powers on the WTA Tour towards her rival Elena Rybakina. Former World No.1 Dinara Safina tried to explain why Sabalenka had experienced this recent slump.

The Belarusian has competed in eight tournaments since that Miami Open title. She reached the final just once at the US Open where Rybakina ended her incredible win streak and prevented the three-peat from occurring.

This prolongs a period of form that has not been at the levels expected of the four-time Grand Slam champion. It is the first year since 2022 where she has not won a major title while her spot at the top of the rankings has been swiped away from her.

In truth, this could have occurred much earlier with Rybakina also having troubles on clay and grass. Since touching down for the North American hardcourt swing, nothing was stopping her. A final and semi-final in the two WTA 1000 events ahead of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year in New York were promising signs, and she was able to back it up with a splendid set of displays in Flushing Meadows to seal a third major title.

Speaking on the Russian podcast Best Tennis Podcast, the three-time Grand Slam finalist Safina believed that a break in action following the Miami Open could have wrecked her momentum after a really positive period on court.

"You could say this year is not the best one for her," she said. "There was some kind of break after Miami. What is it linked to? She says the contracts don't bother her, maybe. But whether we like it or not, you inevitably have to devote time and attention to those activities."

These commitments away from the court have stifled the results on it, according to the Russian. "On top of tennis, where you're not only thinking about tennis, you also have advertising work. You may feel like you're adapting everything to tennis, but you still arrive more tired, perhaps more irritable, and maybe things don't go as planned."

Everything adds up with the fatigue Sabalenka had a costly factor. "These small, insignificant things ultimately leave a mark over the long term," she continued. "At first, everything is fine, then you realise you don't have enough left. You want to be present here, and there too."

Nevertheless, this brought Safina to praise Sabalenka. Despite the possible fatigue she had been dealing with, the 28-year-old still charged through the rounds with some impressive performances at times. "Reaching that final was really down to her character. Because, frankly, she arrived in no shape at all," she commented.

Overall, there were many missed opportunities for Sabalenka to gain more points and titles in 2026. "After Miami, her clay-court season never really got going. She lost to Baptiste after having match points, then Madrid and Rome went badly, and she lost her match at Roland-Garros. It really wasn't her year." That continued on grass before she struggled to get going on hardcourt before the US Open.

This could be a valuable learning curve for the former World No.1. "Maybe she will draw some conclusions and prepare differently next year, building her schedule another way. We don't know. Maybe everything will stay the same and that will be enough, and she'll keep on winning," Safina concluded.

There is still much to play for in 2026. A brace of WTA 1000 events in China are next for Sabalenka with the China Open and Wuhan Open a great opportunity to get back in the winning enclosure before the all-important WTA Finals.