The single improvement that made Aryna Sabalenka unstoppable in 2026

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Aryna Sabalenka has been in a class of her own on the WTA Tour this season.

The Belarusian, already a four-time Grand Slam champion, has dropped just one match out of 24 so far in 2024.

That defeat came at the hands of Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.

Since then, she’s barely put a foot wrong, going on to win both Indian Wells and the Miami Open to complete the ‘sunshine double’.

The statistics behind Sabalenka’s season help explain why she’s been so hard to beat lately.

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How Aryna Sabalenka’s serve has evolved in 2026

A closer look at Sabalenka’s numbers on Tennis Abstract shows just how much her serve has improved across the board.

Compared to last year, she’s holding serve more often, hitting a higher percentage of aces, and cutting down on double faults.

She’s also landing more first serves and winning a greater share of points on both her first and second serves. Overall, she’s winning 5.8 per cent more service points than she did in 2025.

Sabalenka’s progress is even more impressive when you consider where she started. Early in her career, double-digit double faults weren’t uncommon for her.

But with the help of biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan, she managed to turn things around. Since then, her serve has become one of the most reliable weapons on the WTA Tour.

Aryna Sabalenka said she wanted to dominate like Serena Williams

During an interview with Arab News in 2024, Sabalenka spoke openly about her ambition to become a more dominant force on the WTA Tour.