WTA Finals field set — Aryna Sabalenka back at No. 1

It is more exciting for the final spots for the WTA Finals to be decided in the last week or two, but a rule change allowing a reigning Grand Slam champion ranked between Nos. 9-20 in the Race helped seal the deal. For a recap, here are the eight players contending for the season’s crown jewel:

I admit, I go back and forth on whether or not Babora Krejcikova should be in the Finals but ultimately, a bigger asterisk is put on the event when all four Grand Slam champions aren’t included in the year-end event. We saw it in 2021 when Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon but didn’t receive any ranking points for her win due to the tournament’s ban on Russian and Belarussian players. The likely two alternates to travel to Riyadh are Nos. 8 and 9, Emma Navarro and Daria Kasatkina, respectively.

The second order of big news — due to another ranking rule causing an uproar — is Aryna Sabalenka returning to the No. 1 ranking. While both players have 54 wins this year and Swiatek holds one more title (5 vs. 4), Sabalenka does hold two of the four Grand Slams, to Swiatek’s one.

Now, why it’s an issue is because of the calendar. Swiatek lost 120 points on her ranking, while Sabalenka lost 10 — though neither played this past week. The reason why they lost ranking points is because in the WTA rulebook, players are required to play six WTA 500 tournaments per year. Should they not, they lose points from their worst showing that was counted on their ranking. In Swiatek’s case, she’s only played two and Sabalenka played four. Tokyo this week is the last WTA 500 tournament of the season and both will lose more ranking points next week — Swiatek losing 195 and Sabalenka 65.

Lastly, they will also lose points from last year’s WTA Finals. Swiatek is the defending champion and went 3-0 in round robin play, while Sabalenka went 2-1 before losing to Swiatek in the semifinals. With 1,500 points coming off for Swiatek and only 625 for Sabalenka, the odds that the Belarussian ends the year as No. 1 are extremely high. In fact, should Sabalenka win two matches in Riyadh, it’s pretty much sealed:

The final order of big news is that off-court coaching will officially be allowed at all levels of professional play, per the ITF.

Under Rule 30, ‘Coaching’ is defined as communication, advice or instruction of any kind and by any means to a player. Here is a summary of how the rule will change from 1 January 2025. 

• Coaching from an off-court location may be permitted in events played under the rules of tennis by the sanctioning body concerned. 
• In team events only, where a team captain sits on-court, the team captain may give coaching the player(s) at such times permitted by the sanctioning body concerned. 
• In all other competitions, on-court coaching is not allowed.  
• Sanctioning bodies may permit players to access approved Player Analysis Technology at times when coaching is permitted.  

How will this work? 

Subject to coaching being permitted by the sanctioning body of each event:  

• Coaching is allowed between points and at change of ends and set breaks, and at any other time (except during the playing of a point) permitted by the sanctioning body.  
• For off-court coaching and on-court coaching between points, communication may be verbal (when the coach(es) and player(s) are at the same end of the court) or by hand signals (at any time when coaching is permitted) only.  
• Off-court coaching, and on-court coaching between points, must be brief (except during breaks in play) and discreet.  

Some argue that this violates the beauty of tennis being a fully individual sport or helps the ones with the means to bring a traveling coach on tour. I would agree, but coaching has been happening from the stands for so long, it makes sense to make it “legal.”

Now, on to links!

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Breanna Stewart had 21 points, 5 assists, 7 steals, and 8 rebounds in the Liberty’s Game 2 win. She’s just the second player in WNBA history to have 20-5-5-5 in the Finals.

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This Week in Women’s Tennis

The doubles field for the WTA Finals Riyadh have also been completed with Chan Hao-Ching/Veronika Kudermetova and Nicole Melichar-Martinez/Ellen Perez earning their spots.

Daria Kasatkina won her second title of the season and snuck into the WTA Race’s Top 10 with a win over Mirra Andreeva in the Ningbo Open final. In doubles, Demi Schuurs and Yuan Yue upset Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez to win their first title as a duo.

Suzan Lamens won her first WTA title, taking the all-qualifier battle over Kimberly Birrell to win the Kinoshita Group Japan Open. The doubles title was won by Ena Shibahara and Laura Siegemund, who bested Cristina Bucsa and Monica Niculescu.

Naomi Osaka is ending her season early due to an ongoing back injury that forced her to retire in Beijing.

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic will make her return from maternity leave next week at the ITF World Tour event in Hamburg, Germany.

Sloane Stephens was a guest on Caroline Garcia’s podcast, discussing a variety of topics including if she has the desire to be No. 1, finding new places to play or visit as a tour veteran and more.

Iga Swiatek announced she’s hired Wim Fisette, who recently parted with Naomi Osaka, as her new coach.

What a week by Sara Saito and Aoi Ito, whose craft took the tennis world by storm en route to the semifinals in her WTA debut — something her idol Hsieh Su-Wei also did.

Johanna Konta is supporting the WTA Foundation’s Women Change The Game initiative, highlighting the challenges she’s realized she and others face in motherhood all around the world.

Serena Williams shared the news she had a grapefruit-sized cyst removed from her neck and it fortunately being benign:

The USTA announced a restructuring of their competitive pathway departments and as a result, General Manager of Player Development Martin Blackman is stepping down:

Ana Ivanovic made a return to the tennis court at the Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters, which was won by Kirsten Flipkens.

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In news I am PUMPED about, Danielle Collins isn’t retiring!