MADRID – Another title for Aryna Sabalenka may sound like old news, but the Belarusian’s 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory over American Coco Gauff on Saturday in Madrid revealed two very interesting facts: women’s tennis is changing, and having a short memory can be an advantage.
Beyond Sabalenka’s success, the final was a credit in itself: it was a very interesting match, a duel of great points, players with personality and tennis variety, something that for many years was not the case on the WTA tour, which was suffering from monothematic tennis.
Gauff knows how to hit the ball hard, although not as hard as Sabalenka, of course. But Gauff also knows how to take the offensive, attacking the net to surprise and overwhelm her opponent. As a result, there was frequent applause on the cool spring afternoon at Madrid’s Caja Mágica.
With these weapons, Gauff had been able to defeat Sabalenka five times out of nine when they faced each other. This was not the case on Saturday, with a convincing victory for the Belarusian, who reacted fiercely and effectively when the American threatened to complicate her path to the trophy.
Undefeated against the top ten so far in 2025, Sabalenka is the first player to reach the Madrid final three years in a row and the first to win Miami and Madrid in the same year since Serena Williams did so in 2013. She is also the player with the most wins so far this year. She is, in short, the undisputed number one.
When the numbers are so overwhelming, the questions after the title move through twists and turns of originality. Or at least they try to.
So Sabalenka was asked if there is anyone on the women’s tour who hits the ball as hard as she does. The champion implied that there isn’t.
‘Hmmmm… I don’t know. Maybe when I trained with the guys, I did it with [Andrey] Rublev and after five minutes I was done.’
Having played six finals in eight tournaments is not something to be overlooked: ‘It’s not that I didn’t expect it to happen, but it sounds crazy. It’s like a dream.’
And although she is aware that Poland’s Iga Swiatek is not “at her best”, she hopes she will come back strong: ’I know she’s going to come back, and I’m ready for whoever challenges me on the court.’
The keys to her success, says Sabalenka, are being able to motivate herself without needing anyone to push her. And being like a fish, having a short memory.
‘I don’t dwell on success for long, nor on tough defeats. I think a short memory is the key.’
