What’s to Come in 2025?
We’ve seen it countless times among the most elite of players: The horizon is clear, the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted, all is going really well – until it’s not. That’s the situation in which Iga Swiatek, who spent most of 2025 ranked No. 1, finds herself. She has a lot on her plate if she hopes to reclaim the honor she surrendered top ranking honors to Aryna Sabalenka in October.
First, though, let’s usher the elephant out of the room. The 23-year old Polish star missed the Asian swing (setting the stage for Sabalenka’s ascent) due to a one-month doping suspension after testers found a minute amount of a banned substance in the melatonin Swiatek said she was using to combat jet lag.
A power lag may be more of a problem for Swiatek heading into 2025. The 5-foot-9 righthander, already a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, has the most well-balanced, versatile game on the WTA Tour. But in tennis power still rules, and nobody applies force quite like Sabalenka. She can take the racquet out of anyone’s hands. Her style borders on reckless abandon, but she’s also grown less profligate.
