Former tennis champion Rennae Stubbs has a bold take on Aryna Sabalenka's 2025 season. While the world No. 1 played exceptionally well across major tournaments, she only managed to secure one Grand Slam title. This has led Stubbs to label Sabalenka's year as 'a bit of a failure'.
The 27-year-old had a chance to make tennis history by becoming one of the few players to complete an Australian Open three-peat. However, she fell short after being upset by Madison Keys in a thrilling three-set match. She then went on to reach the French Open final, only to lose to Coco Gauff after a set. At Wimbledon, she failed to make her first final after losing a tight three-setter to Amanda Anisimova. While she managed to win the US Open, she suffered another heartbreak in her last tournament of the year, losing to Elena Rybakina in the Riyadh final and falling short of landing her first WTA Finals title.
"You've hit the pinnacle by becoming world No. 1 two years in a row, like the consistency that she had this year was outrageously good. But having only won one, essentially one major title, the US Open, I would say that she would say that her year was a little bit of a failure," Stubbs said on her podcast. "She's been so good, and consistently the best player all year, and making all the finals that she did, I think she would be highly disappointed that she lost in the finals of the Australian Open, that she lost in the semifinals of Wimbledon. She also lost the French Open final, and then she lost her WTA Final. I think that for her, someone who's that dominant, she would be very disappointed that she didn't get more major titles under her belt this year."
Despite her success, Sabalenka admitted that she didn't want to finish the season without a Grand Slam title. After losing to Rybakina in the WTA Finals final, she revealed that she was planning to go to the Maldives and analyze her season with tequila shots. But here's where it gets controversial... Is it really fair to label Sabalenka's year as a failure? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
