Aryna Sabalenka arrived in Madrid this week to defend her Mutua Madrid Open title after collecting the Laureus Award for best sportswoman of the previous year on Monday. The world No. 1 has built another bruising run through the season, and her latest stop comes at a tournament that has often brought out her sharpest tennis.
Sabalenka has played 24 matches in 2026 and won 23 of them, with three titles and only one loss, in the Australian Open final. Since August, she has not gone below the semifinals at any event she has entered. In Madrid, the numbers are even more striking: she has won three Mutua Madrid Open titles, reached four finals and taken 85% of her matches at the Caja Mágica.
“Significa mucho,” Sabalenka said after receiving the Laureus honor in Madrid. She added that it was “a crazy” thought to see her name alongside previous winners, calling herself speechless, very honored and proud. The award landed on the same day the 27-year-old made clear how closely Madrid fits her game and her mood.
“Siento que la gente conecta mucho conmigo aquí y me apoya muchísimo,” she said. “Siempre estoy emocionada por volver a Madrid para sentir la atmósfera del estadio.” Those words carry weight because Madrid has become one of the few tournaments where Sabalenka’s results have been unusually consistent. She has not gone below the final match there since 2023, and she is defending the title again in this edition.
There is also a practical side to her schedule. Sabalenka said she skipped Stuttgart this year because the calendar and the accumulation of matches meant she had to listen to her body. “El plan ideal es abrir un poco más el calendario, mantenerme sana y estar más preparada para mostrar mi mejor tenis en cada torneo,” she said. She added that her body has been a little off this season and that she has needed time to recover and do the right thing.
That is the tension beneath her surge: Sabalenka is playing the best sustained tennis of her season while managing the demands that come with staying on top. For readers following the Madrid draw, the immediate question is whether anyone can slow her before the final stages — or whether her strongest court fit of the year will carry her deep once more.
