Sabalenka adds touch to power game with embrace of drop shot

The world No 2 has hit 15 drop shot winners in four matches at Roland-Garros this year

Michael Boucher/Panoramic

June 4, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka has risen to the top of the women’s game thanks to a powerful, all-round game which is usually good enough to steamroll the vast majority of her opponents.

The Belarusian has hit more winners than anyone else going into the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros, winning 30 percent of her points (118 out of 400) with outright winners, 63 of them on the forehand.

But this year, the world No 2 has added something to her game; touch.

sabalenka viu o povo inventando que a rybakina era mais versátil que ela e resolveu meter esse masterclass de drop shot pic.twitter.com/We9fc0W09A
— 🪦. (@moonbyelle) May 14, 2024

In her four matches to date, Sabalenka has used the drop shot far more than in previous years and because it has been such a surprise, it’s been deadly effective.

15 drop shot winners in four matches

Roland-Garros does not keep stats (or at least they are not available to the media) on the number of drop shots actually played, but it does record drop shot winners and the numbers are fascinating. In four matches, Sabalenka has hit 15 drop shot winners, almost enough for four games.

“It’s a tricky shot and sometimes you can get too much into the drop shots and start losing your game,” Sabalenka told reporters at Roland-Garros.

“But I would say I really feel comfortable doing all those drop shots. I definitely have a good touch to go for drop shots. Even if it wouldn’t be a game plan, I mean, on the court if I see that this is the time to go for it, I’m going to go for it.”

According to the Roland-Garros scorecards, Sabalenka hit four winners with the drop shot in the first round against Erika Andreeva, two against Moyuka Uchijima, six against Paula Badosa and three against Emma Navarro in the fourth round.

While the likes of Ons Jabeur and Corentin Moutet have bamboozled players for years with their use of what the French call “l’amorti”, Sabalenka had never previously suggested it was part of her repertoire.

But from the beginning of this clay-court season, Sabalenka has used the drop shot more and more, especially in Madrid, using them extensively in her last-16 win over Elina Svitolina, when she saved a match point. The Ukrainian was impressed.

“It’s quite normal (against me) because I stay quite far back on the return, which is normal because her or Elena (Rybakina), they have big serves,” she said. “I feel like next time I will try to expect a bit more, but I think she played that quite well tactically.

Swiatek rarely uses the drop shot

In the Madrid final, Sabalenka again utilised the drop shot well and had three match points before losing to Iga Swiatek. And though the Pole also denied her in the Rome final, the drop shot is something she can use to unsettle the world No 1, should they meet again in the Roland-Garros final this weekend.

By contrast, Swiatek has hit just one drop shot winner in her five matches to date here this fortnight, rarely feeling the need to deviate from the tried and trusted game plan of heavy, accurate groundstrokes. In her first four matches, she hit just one drop shot winner.

When played well, at the right time, the drop shot is a thing of beauty but sometimes it’s more difficult than others to use it, as it was in Rome when the quality of the Swiatek groundstrokes pushed Sabalenka into a deep position from where the shot carries more risk.

“But I think she just didn’t give me much opportunities to use it. Different style of the game. She’s playing a little bit heavier balls. Balls were quite deep. I didn’t have much opportunities to go for the dropshots. I tried couple of times. Couple of times it worked, couple times not.

“When I’m not feeling my best, I’m not going to go for extra, something extra. I will try to keep it simple till I find the rhythm that I can use all my assets. I didn’t get to the point where I could go for it more often.”