Not much change is expected in the top echelon of women’s tennis as 2024 gradually makes way for the New Year. Iga Swiatek had started 2024 as the No.1 player in the world and had Aryna Sabalenka following her at No.2. By the year end, they have switched places. But there is no guarantee that the order will not change.
The coming year may see the rise of youngsters like Mirra Andreeva. The Russian 17-year-old started the 2024 season with a ranking near 150 but ended the year at a career-high 16.
She achieved her best grand slam result at the French Open by reaching the semi-finals. She also won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in women’s doubles with partner Diana Shnaider.
The familiar favourites on the women’s tour — Sabalenka, Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina — would be the ones expected to win most of the titles, specially at the grand slams. But one should not ignore the likes of Jessica Pegula, Qinwen Zheng, Jasmine Paolini and Ons Jabeur.
Another player to look out for would be former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka. She returned to the court in January 2024 after a hiatus of more than a year — a break she took for the birth of her daughter Shai.
While the later part of the 2024 season saw her being dogged by injuries, she is set to make a better impression in 2025.
Osaka participated in all four majors this year, though the four-time grand slam champion could not go beyond the second round.
Coming back to the top two, top-ranked Sabalenka has made it clear that she wants to make a bigger impact in 2025. The 26-year-old had a brilliant 2024 and for the first time, she finished the year as the No.1.
It was also the first time in her career that she won two grand slams, lifting the Australian Open and the US Open singles titles.
After winning the French Open for a fourth time, she was beaten in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games, where she was a strong favourite for the gold, and then lost in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
Her closest rival Swiatek had said she will start 2025 with “new goals”.
Swiatek hired Wim Fissette, Osaka’s former coach, after parting company with Tomasz Wiktorowski in October. She had won four of her five grand slam titles under Wiktorowski.
Swiatek also had a traumatic time in 2024, having failed a drugs test in August. She accepted a one-month suspension.
She was notified of the failed test on September 12 and was told then of her provisional suspension, starting from that date. She was ranked world No.1 at the
point. She claimed the positive test was a result of contaminated melatonin tablets from Poland, which the player was taking “for jet lag and sleep issues”.
Her explanation was accepted by the authorities. The world No.2 is keen to rise above the controversy and prove herself on the court once more.
Will 2025 remain in the control of Swiatek and Sabalenka? That time will tell. But if the others step up, then the season surely has the potential to become an exciting one, with the uncertainty adding spice to the mix.
