Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have been the WTA Tour’s top two players this year in terms of ranking points won, and both will look to finish their strong 2025 campaigns on a high.
Both world No 1 Sabalenka and world No 2 Swiatek have tasted Grand Slam success this season, and will look to add to the growing trophy cabinets this Autumn, with a string of big events to come over the next two months.
Last year’s Asian swing saw a significant rankings manoeuvre when Sabalenka returned to the top at the expense of Swiatek, when the WTA Tour’s controversial mandatory rules took effect, and it looks likely that both women could be impacted by the rule once again in 2025.
What are the current WTA mandatory rules?
Currently, top WTA players such as Sabalenka and Swiatek are expected to compete in potentially 21 events across a season.
That starts with the four Grand Slam tournaments, and is then followed by the 10 WTA 1000 events.
However, that is then followed by the expectation that players enter six WTA 500 events across a season, and then the WTA Finals at the end of the year, should they have qualified.
Ultimately, not all of these events are factored into someone’s WTA ranking, with a maximum of 18 tournaments considered for any woman’s ranking; this is increased to 19 should they reach the WTA Finals.
The 18 events included are all four Grand Slams, six combined WTA 1000 events, one WTA-only 1000 event, and the seven best results from the remaining events of any player.
Tennis News
Amanda Anismova’s incredible backhand speed sparks tennis gender debate
If players have not competed in enough events outside of the Grand Slam or WTA 1000 tournaments, what is known as a ‘zero-pointer’ is factored into their WTA Ranking.
This is where zero points from a WTA 500 event a player did not compete at are added onto their ranking, with points from another event removed — usually a higher-level event where the player won the fewest points.
Last year, Swiatek and Sabalenka were both affected by this.
Swiatek’s 120 points from the Miami Open were initially removed, with Sabalenka dropping 10 points from the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Pole would then lose a further 130 points the following week, with Sabalenka losing a further 65 points.
What WTA 500 events have Sabalenka and Swiatek played?
As it stands, it looks likely that both Sabalenka and Swiatek will miss out on fulfilling the mandatory WTA 500 event requirement for 2025.
Swiatek is set to be in WTA 500 action at the Korea Open this week, in what will be her fourth event at that level this season.
The Pole previously competed at the United Cup, which counts as a 500-level event, as well as at the Bad Homburg Open and the Stuttgart Open.
Swiatek is set to play the WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan before the WTA Finals, and is unlikely to want to add another WTA 500 event into her schedule before then.
Similarly, Sabalenka is likely to only play those three events for the remainder of 2025 and will miss the WTA mandatory requirements if so.
The world No 1 has competed at the WTA 500 Brisbane International, Stuttgart Open, and Berlin Open this season, meaning she is set to fall three events short.
The implementation of the mandatory WTA Rankings requirements will likely take place in the weeks heading into the WTA Finals, when it becomes impossible for a player to achieve the requirements.
The rule is undoubtedly controversial, but it looks set to affect the WTA’s two leading stars once again.
Read Next: WTA Rankings: Swiatek has chance to close gap, Jovic +37, Eala +4, Tjen +27, Rajaonah +83
The post Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek set to break controversial WTA Rankings rule for second straight year appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply