Sabalenka's 2025 Season—on track to be the most underachieving season ever?

[bw114]

I'm aware that Sabalenka is quite a polarizing player on these forums, but she has clearly been the most consistent player over the last 3 seasons.

Here are Sabalenka's results in big events (slams+1000s) in 2025 after today's loss to Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinal:
Australian Open: F
Qatar: R32
Dubai: R16
Indian Wells: F
Miami: W
Madrid: W
Rome: QF
RG: F
Wimbledon: SF

She has held the #1 spot since October of 2024 and leads this year's points race by over 2000 (!) points. Yet she has two big titles and zero slam titles to show for it. She is the defending champion at the USO, Cincinnati, and Wuhan, and will defend QFs at Toronto and Beijing.

Is Sabalenka on track to have one of the most underachieving seasons in WTA history, considering how consistent she has been and how dominant she has looked?

 

[Berrettini_Fan]

Yes

 

[Kralingen]

Yeah she reminds me a bit of 2012-14 Djokovic, when he only won 1 Slam out of 9 while being by far the best player year-round in Bo3.

 

[helterskelter]

Yeah she reminds me a bit of 2012-14 Djokovic, when he only won 1 Slam out of 9 while being by far the best player year-round in Bo3.

Or 1982-84 Navratilova, who lost six times in three years but four of them were in slams so she "only" won eight slams in that three-year period despite being virtually unbeatable throughout. Also, in one of her slam losses (83 Roland Garros), she won a 6-0 set, in two others (82 US Open + 84 Australian Open) she won a 6-1 set, and in the final loss (82 Australian Open), she won a 6-2 set.

 

[Gizo]

I don’t think she underachieved that year given that she was up against Serena, Henin and Venus and part of a formidable 'fab 4', with the likes of Capriati, Davenport and Mauresmo also around. But Clijsters' 2003 stands out as an amazingly strong season by a player that didn't win a grand slam title in it.

She ended it with a 90-12 W/L record. She entered 21 tournaments that year, and reached the semi-finals or better in 20 of them. Her only early round exit was in Toronto which was her 4th consecutive week of tournament play (or 5th if you include the Fed Cup). She won titles on all surfaces in pretty much every part of the season, including Indian Wells, Rome and the YEC.

Each of her 4 defeats at the majors was frustrating for her for different reasons. In Melbourne she relinquished a 5-1 final set lead with 2 match points on her serve at 5-2 against Serena in the semis. At RG she completely froze and never really turned up against Henin in the final. At Wimbledon she lost in the semis to Venus who had a big stomach injury and was in all sorts of pain throughout almost the entire match. And at the US Open, she was well beaten in the final by Henin who had needed an IV drip after her gruelling and thrilling SF and late finish against Capriati the day before.

 

[Berrettini_Fan]

Yeah she reminds me a bit of 2012-14 Djokovic, when he only won 1 Slam out of 9 while being by far the best player year-round in Bo3.

He won 3 slams during that period

 

[Moose Malloy]

Hingis in 2000 was #1 by a large margin(and was #1 every week of the year) but won no majors. Venus won 2 majors that year. Think Hingis made semis in all but one event she played(and she played a lot more than Sabalenka)

 

[helterskelter]

He won 3 slams during that period

One of nine is right, but it isn't the whole period (which covers 12 slams). Here are the nine, with the one he won in bold:

RG 12, WI 12, USO 12, AO 13, RG 13, WI 13, USO 13, AO 14, RG 14.

 

[Sudacafan]

No slams in 2025, although leading rankings by 4,751 points, no matter the Saturday finals result. Gauff will still be the #2 on Monday.

 

[FiReFTW]

I have nothing against her and shes alright, but I can't stand to watch her play, her screaming is absolutely ridicilous, she is screaming at the top of her lungs, can't possibly scream louder... its SOOOOOO annoying... I can't believe this is actually allowed its on a whole new ridicilous level.

 

[Fed_Nole]

He won 3 slams during that period

Depends on how you frame timetable
Calendar year 2012-2014, 3 trophies/5RU/3semi out of 12 majors, mediocre under Nole's standard, but far from being terrible
2012RG-2014RG, only won 13AO

 

[buscemi]

Davenport in 2005? Lost in the AO and Wimbledon finals. Did win Zurich, but lost in the Indian Wells and Pan Pacific finals. Finished a controversial #1.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Davenport in 2005? Lost in the AO and Wimbledon finals. Did win Zurich, but lost in the Indian Wells and Pan Pacific finals. Finished a controversial #1.

2008 was worse. Jankovic finished #1 and Safina #2 yet neither of them won a slam or the Olympics or the WTA Finals.

Jelena Jankovic finished #1. Her results:
Aus Open SF
French Open SF
Wimbledon 4R
US Open SF

No slams, just one slam final. She won just two (of the then equivalent) 1000 titles in Rome and Moscow. Had one other runner up in Miami. And won two (equivalent) 500 titles in Beijing & Stuttgart.

Safina finished #2. Her results:
Aus Open 1R
French Open Final
Wimbledon 3R
US Open SF

No slams, just one slam final. She won three of the 1000 titles (Berlin, Montreal and Tokyo) and a 500 equivalent in LA.

The problem was that everything big was won by someone different.
Sharapova won the Aus Open
Ivanovic won the French Open
Venus won Wimbledon but also the WTA Finals
Serena won the US Open
Dementieva won the Olympics

 

[Mustard]

Or 1982-84 Navratilova, who lost six times in three years but four of them were in slams so she "only" won eight slams in that three-year period despite being virtually unbeatable throughout. Also, in one of her slam losses (83 Roland Garros), she won a 6-0 set, in two others (82 US Open + 84 Australian Open) she won a 6-1 set, and in the final loss (82 Australian Open), she won a 6-2 set.

And most infamously in that period, Navratilova won 6 majors in a row, when the Australian Open was the last major of the year (as it was from 1977-1985), with 1983 Wimbledon, 1983 US Open, 1983 Australian Open, 1984 French Open (beat Evert 6-3, 6-1 in the final!), 1984 Wimbledon, 1984 US Open, but then lost her 1984 Australian Open semi final to Sukova. Evert beat Sukova in the final. And then in the 1985 French Open, Evert edged out Navratilova in a close 3-setter, avenging the previous year's thrashing, and ending a 12 wins in a row streak for Navratilova over Evert.

 

[messiahrobins]

Yeah she reminds me a bit of 2012-14 Djokovic, when he only won 1 Slam out of 9 while being by far the best player year-round in Bo3.

Very similar

 

[jm1980]

Yeah she reminds me a bit of 2012-14 Djokovic, when he only won 1 Slam out of 9 while being by far the best player year-round in Bo3.

The most infuriating loss of that era as a fan was the 2012 USO final where they made him play in hurricane conditions. Followed closely by the 2013 FO semi and the net touch incident

The 2012 FO final bothered me too, just when Novak was making a comeback Nadal demanded the match be suspended, halting all of Novak's momentum. That was worse than 2018 Wimbledon roofgate

 

[AmericanTwist]

I would like to know what stuff she broke after losing to Anisimova today lol.... Those wails and screams are really getting old. Tennis authorities should speak up on grunting and hindrance issues. Her outbursts go up and down pitch-wise so they are clearly not associated with hitting the ball physiologically.

 

[zvelf]

And most infamously in that period, Navratilova won 6 majors in a row, when the Australian Open was the last major of the year (as it was from 1977-1985), with 1983 Wimbledon, 1983 US Open, 1983 Australian Open, 1984 French Open (beat Evert 6-3, 6-1 in the final!), 1984 Wimbledon, 1984 US Open, but then lost her 1984 Australian Open semi final to Sukova. Evert beat Sukova in the final. And then in the 1985 French Open, Evert edged out Navratilova in a close 3-setter, avenging the previous year's thrashing, and ending a 12 wins in a row streak for Navratilova over Evert.

Yeah, Navratilova then is nothing like Sabalenka now. 6 slams in a row is anything but underachieving.

 

[AgassiSuperSlam11]

And most infamously in that period, Navratilova won 6 majors in a row, when the Australian Open was the last major of the year (as it was from 1977-1985), with 1983 Wimbledon, 1983 US Open, 1983 Australian Open, 1984 French Open (beat Evert 6-3, 6-1 in the final!), 1984 Wimbledon, 1984 US Open, but then lost her 1984 Australian Open semi final to Sukova. Evert beat Sukova in the final. And then in the 1985 French Open, Evert edged out Navratilova in a close 3-setter, avenging the previous year's thrashing, and ending a 12 wins in a row streak for Navratilova over Evert.

I believe the streak was 13 and had ended earlier in the year. Nevertheless, the larger point is that these streaks are common in major rivalries, and nobody is considered a "pigeon" because of it. These two played 80 matches and had a very competitive rivalry.

 

[zvelf]

I'm aware that Sabalenka is quite a polarizing player on these forums, but she has clearly been the most consistent player over the last 3 seasons.

This part is just flat-out wrong. Swiatek was clearly the most consistent player in 2023 (and 2022 if you want to go back that far) as well as the first half of 2024 when Iga won Qatar, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. Sabalenka has only become the most consistent player after Wimbledon last year.

 

[helterskelter]

Yeah, Navratilova then is nothing like Sabalenka now. 6 slams in a row is anything but underachieving.

Eight of 12 is not as good as she might have managed, considering her overall near invincibility, and the narrowness of some of her losses. Federer lost 15 times from 2004-06 and won eight slams; Navratilova lost six times from 1982-84 and also won eight slams.

 

[Gizo]

After Hingis won 4 grand slams out of 5 between the 1997 and 1998 Australian Opens, she then won 1 more grand slam title during her career, despite continually reaching the latter rounds (to me the overall strength of the field significantly increased from 1999 though).

1998 Roland Garros - Semi-Finalist
1998 Wimbledon - Semi-Finalist
1998 US Open - Finalist

1999 Australian Open - Champion
1999 Roland Garros - Finalist
1999 US Open - Finalist

2000 Australian Open - Finalist
2000 Roland Garros - Semi-Finalist
2000 Wimbledon - Quarter-Finalist (losing to the eventual champion Venus, though clearly she was never beating Venus, Serena and Davenport consecutively on grass)

2001 Australian Open - Finalist
2001 Roland Garros - Semi-Finalist
2001 US Open - Semi-Finalist

2002 Australian Open - Finalist (despite having 4 championship points vs. Capriati)

The exceptions were Wimbledon in 1999 and 2001 when she of course lost in the 1st round. She spent 83 weeks as the world no. 1, including a consecutive streak of 73 weeks from May 2000 to October 2001, after the 2000 Australian Open final when she no longer held any of the grand slams any more.

 

[travlerajm]

On the doubles side, Arévalo / Pavic are #1 by a large margin, but have won none of the last 4 slams, and won’t win the next one this weekend either.

Meanwhile, the #2 team has won 2 of the last 4.