“I’m so done of losing these big finals”: Sabalenka’s haunted by the moments that matter most
The world No. 1 admits she is “so done” of coming up short when the trophy is within reach. The story will change Sunday at Indian Wells, she promises.
Aryna Sabalenka, Indian Wells 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Aryna Sabalenka has spent 80 consecutive weeks at the top of women’s tennis. She has four Grand Slam titles, a stranglehold on the rankings, and the most complete game in the women’s game. And yet, as she prepares to face Elena Rybakina in Sunday’s Indian Wells final, a nagging question follows her into the desert: why does the biggest stage keep slipping through her fingers?
The Belarusian world No. 1 has been brutally honest about it herself. “I’m so done of losing these big finals,” Sabalenka said this week. “I feel like I had so many opportunities that I didn’t use.”
It is a remarkable admission from a player of her stature, and the record backs her up in stark detail. In 2025 alone, Madison Keys beat her in the Australian Open final (6-3, 2-6, 7-5), then Coco Gauff came back from a set down to take Roland-Garros (6-7(7), 6-2, 6-4). Rybakina then ended her year by winning the WTA Finals in Riyadh (6-3, 7-6(0)). In January, Rybakina beat her again in the Australian Open final in Melbourne (6-4, 4-6, 6-4). The pattern is hard to ignore, even if she won the US Open final in between.
Sabalenka’s non used opportunities
“Even though players were playing incredible tennis in those finals, I feel like I had so many opportunities that I didn’t use,” she repeated, the frustration barely concealed beneath her characteristic humor.
Sunday will be their sixth meeting in a final overall, with Rybakina holding a 4-1 advantage in their previous five. The one exception was the 2023 Australian Open, where Sabalenka prevailed over Rybakina to claim her first Grand Slam title. Since that day in Melbourne, however, the ledger has tilted sharply the other way.
The 2023 Indian Wells final is a case study in what haunts her. Rybakina won that day (7-6(11), 6-4), and Sabalenka recalls the match in fragments – a tight first-set tiebreak, set points she held, a double fault at the worst possible moment, a break advantage that evaporated.
“I remember I was one break up. Then she broke me back. Then it was a crazy tiebreak. Then I lost the first set. And things didn’t really go well in the second set.” The details blur, but the result does not. Three years on, she arrives back at the same venue still seeking a first Indian Wells title, having also lost last year’s final to Mirra Andreeva.
“Against Elena, it’s always super-aggressive”
Sabalenka is approaching Sunday with something between relish and resolve. “Against Elena, it’s always super-aggressive, it’s all about the first few balls in every point,” she said. “If you dominate in those two points, most likely you’re gonna win the point. It’s very aggressive, very fast tennis. If it’s her, I’m excited, actually.”
That excitement is genuine. Sabalenka has never been a player who shies from confrontation, and there is little in her demeanor to suggest the finals record has broken her spirit. If anything, the accumulation of near-misses seems to have sharpened her focus. “If I make it to the final, I’ll go out there and I’ll do everything I can and everything I cannot to get that trophy,” she said.
The broader context makes Sunday’s match all the more loaded. A loss would not only extend the streak but hand Rybakina – now a career-high No. 2 and openly targeting the top spot – a significant boost in the rankings race. A win, conversely, would be more than just a title. It would be a statement that Sabalenka has finally silenced the one question her dominance has been unable to answer.
Eighty weeks at No. 1. Four Grand Slams. A career record of 22 titles and 19 final defeats. And still, the finals demons linger.
“Maybe because I lost so many finals,” she quipped this week when asked why she always seems to peak at the biggest moments. Her interviewer was quick to correct her – her overall finals record is a winning one. But in the matches that have mattered most over the past twelve months, the math tells a different story, and Sabalenka knows it better than anyone.
