Aryna Sabalenka does not need more tennis right now, at least not according to Greg Rusedski.
The former British No. 1 believes Sabalenka should get through the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, then put the racket down for a proper period and consider not returning until the Australian Open.
It is a striking suggestion for a player who has spent so much of the past few seasons collecting titles and occupying world No. 1.
But Beijing and Wuhan have changed the mood.
Sabalenka beat Renata Zarazua in her opening China Open match before Nikola Bartunkova stopped her in the next round. Wuhan was worse. Ann Li beat her 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in Sabalenka’s first match, eventually converting match point No. 10.
Beijing could still be dismissed as a bad day.
Wuhan made that argument harder.
Rusedski Thinks Sabalenka Needs a Reset
Speaking on the Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, Rusedski went straight to the issue of accumulated fatigue.
“Sometimes you need to reset and a little bit of time away from the game.”
His point was not simply that Sabalenka should rest physically.
Rusedski believes she also needs to recover some of the feeling that has accompanied her best tennis.
“You’ve got to find the love and the joy, and you’ve got to find a way to push through.”
That is an interesting distinction.
Sabalenka has hardly forgotten how to play tennis. This is a player who has already won three titles in 2026, including Indian Wells and Miami.
What has changed is that the commanding version of Sabalenka has become less reliable.
Rybakina Is Still Part of the Problem
There is another reason the WTA Finals matter.
Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka spent 99 weeks at world No. 1, but Rybakina took the position from her after beating her in the US Open final.
Rusedski sees that rivalry as part of what will keep Sabalenka invested in the season finale.
“You don’t want to be number two, you want to be number one again.”
He also pointed to how strongly Rybakina finished the previous season and what followed from it.
That gives Sabalenka something more than ranking arithmetic to play for in Indian Wells. The WTA Finals offer one last opportunity to test herself against the strongest eight-player field of the season, including the woman who has displaced her at the top.
Revenge may be too simple a word for it.
But competitive irritation certainly matters.
Then Rusedski Wants Her to Stop
The more unusual part of Rusedski’s proposal comes afterwards.
He does not want Sabalenka immediately moving into another condensed preseason and then appearing at one of the usual Australian warm-up events.
His suggestion is much more radical.
“Take an extended period away from the game.”
Rusedski even raised the possibility of waiting until the Australian Open, pointing to the way Novak Djokovic and other major champions have sometimes structured their schedules around the tournaments that matter most.
For Sabalenka, that would mean resisting the instinct to fix a bad run by playing more.
Finish the WTA Finals.
Switch off.
Come back properly.
Sabalenka’s WTA 1000-Level Titles
Her record at the biggest regular-tour events also shows why a short downturn should not be confused with a disappearing career.
| Year | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Wuhan | — |
| 2019 | Wuhan | — |
| 2020 | Doha | — |
| 2021 | Madrid | — |
| 2022 | — | — |
| 2023 | Madrid | Indian Wells, Rome |
| 2024 | Cincinnati, Wuhan | — |
| 2025 | Miami, Madrid | — |
| 2026 | Indian Wells, Miami | — |
| Total | 11 | 2 |
That is 11 titles at WTA 1000 level or its direct predecessor tier.
The recent losses therefore sit against a much larger body of evidence.
Sabalenka has not suddenly become incapable of beating elite fields.
She has not even stopped doing it with the regularity expected of Aryna Sabalenka.
Indian Wells Has Become the Last Test Before the Reset
That makes the WTA Finals unusually revealing.
If Sabalenka suddenly rediscovers her range against the season’s best players, Wuhan will look more like the bottom of a temporary dip.
If the same uncertainty continues, Rusedski’s recommendation becomes harder to argue with.
There is also little point pretending the calendar exists in isolation from Rybakina.
Sabalenka wants the No. 1 ranking back. She knows who has it. She knows who beat her in New York. And she will have one more major stage this season on which to begin answering that challenge.
After that, perhaps Rusedski is right.
The most productive thing Sabalenka can do may be nothing at all.