Aryna Sabalenka is looking to begin her clay court season at a WTA tournament where she has finished as runner-up on three occasions.
Sabalenka won the Miami Open for the first time last month after beating Jessica Pegula in the final.
This was a relief for the world number one, after Sabalenka had lost the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals already this year.
After Sabalenka met David Beckham in Miami, she has now returned to Europe for the clay court season.
Aryna Sabalenka says Roland Garros will be tougher to win than Wimbledon
Despite being unable to defend her Australian Open title this year, Sabalenka is the reigning US Open champion and is just two major titles away from completing the Career Grand Slam.
Roland Garros and Wimbledon are the two major tournaments that Sabalenka has missing to complete the set.
Ahead of the Stuttgart Open, Sabalenka was asked in her press conference about which of the two Grand Slams she thinks will be harder to win.
“I mean, how can we compare these two completely different surfaces?” questioned Sabalenka. “But both of them are pretty tough to win.
“But probably physically will be tougher — mentally/physically will be tougher, Roland Garros. But that’s my goal, and I’m working really hard and hopefully I can achieve that goal.”
Sabalenka struggled with illness at Roland Garros last year, where she lost in the quarter-finals to Mirra Andreeva.
However, Sabalenka has been closer to reaching Roland Garros final in 2023, having had a match point in her semi-final against Karolina Muchova.
The Belarusian is also a two-time semi-finalist at SW19, but Sabalenka missed Wimbledon last year after withdrawing due to shoulder injury.
| Aryna Sabalenka | Roland Garros | Wimbledon |
| Win-loss Record | 16-7 (70%) | 11-5 (69%) |
| Best Result | Semi-final (2023) | Semi-final (2021 & 2023) |
| 2024 Performance | Quarter-final | Did not play |
Aryna Sabalenka responds when asked if this is her best ever start to a season
Sabalenka has extended her lead over Iga Swiatek to 3,071 points after making a strong start to the 2025 season.
Despite reaching more finals than she had at this stage of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Sabalenka does not think that it is her best start due to her lack of Grand Slam title.
“I think winning Australian Open was a better start for me in the previous years,” admitted Sabalenka. “That’s definitely a great start for finals. I mean, I cannot complain. But of course I could do a little bit better in those two finals I lost.”
From her last three seasons, 2023 is the year where Sabalenka had the best win percentage just ahead of this year.
| Aryna Sabalenka before Stuttgart | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Win-loss Record | 20-3 (87%) | 14-4 (78%) | 23-4 (85%) |
| Finals | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Titles | 2 (Adelaide & Australian Open) | 1 (Australian Open) | 2 (Brisbane & Miami) |
Before Sabalenka can think about winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, she will turn her attention to another tournament that she has been previously close to the title.
Having finished as runner-up at the Stuttgart Open on three previous occasions, Sabalenka will be hoping to overcome rivals Swiatek, Pegula and Coco Gauff.
After Anastasia Potapova withdrew from their upcoming match, Sabalenka is already into the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament where she will play either Diana Shnaider or Elise Mertens.
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