Aryna Sabalenka’s ability to keep adding to her Grand Slam total is being questioned, with one view suggesting rivals have started to solve her game.

Caitlin Thompson, co-host of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast and founder of Racquet magazine, argued that the former world No. 1 may be heading in the wrong direction after finishing her first season without a major title since 2022. In her assessment, Sabalenka has looked increasingly exposed in the biggest moments and could struggle to improve on her four Slam trophies without meaningful adjustments.

On the podcast, Thompson said, “I don’t think Sabalenka is going to get any more. I think she’s in decline. I think everyone else has sort of figured her out, so she’s revealed that she’s very vulnerable in tough moments.

“You know who is not? Coco Gauff. She might not win all the matches and get to all the finals, but you know she’s going to fight you to the death.”

Serena Williams’ coach, Stubbs, was surprised by that opinion and believes Sabalenka can still add to her Slam haul. Even so, Thompson pointed to the world No. 2’s recent record in major finals and noted that she was one set away from winning the US Open.

She also highlighted Sabalenka’s loss to Jessica Pegula in Berlin in June, where the final set went 6-0, as an example of the mental strain she sees in key matches. That concern remained despite Sabalenka’s convincing semi-final win over Pegula at Flushing Meadows.

Thompson added, “The capitulation of it [the Pegula loss]. There’s a weird thing going on with her mentally that I think is more telling and troubling than when she had the yips, or the semi-final blockage from a couple of years ago that she finally pushed through to ascend. I think she has got to make major changes.”

The discussion around her mentality is not new. Patrick Mouratoglou has also said Sabalenka must handle her emotions better if she is to reclaim the top ranking and add to her major count. He suggested she could learn from Elena Rybakina, whose composed approach has beaten Sabalenka in two major finals this year and removed her from world No. 1.

Alexander Zverev has closed 2026 with a record that places him above every other man in Grand Slam titles this year, following his emphatic US Open success. Even so, the conversation around his achievements has not moved on cleanly, with some still eager to argue that circumstances have done much of the work for him.

For years, Zverev occupied the uncomfortable space of being the player who nearly arrived, only to be denied when the biggest matches came around. First it was Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic who stood in the way. More recently, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have done the same.

That long wait finally ended when he won the French Open in June, and he followed it by lifting the US Open title earlier this month. Those victories confirmed his place among the elite, yet criticism quickly settled on the fact that he beat only one top-10 player across those two major runs, with No 9 seed Ben Shelton falling in the US Open final.

It is clear that injuries to Alcaraz and Sinner have shaped the landscape in 2026, but Boris Becker has firmly rejected the idea that this alone explains Zverev’s success. Speaking on his podcast with Andrea Petkovic, Becker said: “I thought it was a bit of a shame after that then again the critics came saying, ‘Yeah, he only won because Alcaraz and Sinner didn’t play, or Alcaraz did play and Sinner was injured.’

“Or ‘He had an easy draw.’ So first, point one: it’s not his fault if Sinner gets injured before. It’s not his fault if Alcaraz spent four months injured, and thankfully, is back again, and in the quarters against Shelton, loses.

“It’s not his fault if his seeds in that half all lose early. He can only beat the opponent he has to face on the court. I actually find that an absolute disgrace. Incredible disrespect toward his performance.

“If that were a one-off fluke, okay. He’s in the final for a third Grand Slam in a row. Actually, he should in Melbourne – where he served for the match against Alcaraz in the semi – also been in the final. This guy could have been in the final of all four Slams this year.

“He was in three, he is the current Roland Garros champion, Wimbledon finalist. Now people have to finally – in the Autumn of his career – pay him the respect he deserves.

“I’m not wearing a German cap here. I see it as an athlete, as a tennis player. You have to show players respect who simply deliver their performance, and so that is why I’m very happy that Sascha won.”

Zverev’s latest triumph has not silenced everyone. John McEnroe drew attention by calling for Alcaraz and Sinner to return immediately after the US Open final, while other voices questioned whether Zverev had been fortunate not to face either player. Social media reaction, and commentary from around the sport, has often followed the same line.

Zverev himself has acknowledged that Sinner remains the man to beat when fully fit. Yet the resistance to fully embracing his 2026 season says as much about his standing off court as it does about his results on it. The allegations he has previously denied also continue to be raised by detractors.

Whatever the reception, the new US Open champion has completed a season that delivered the major breakthrough he had spent years chasing.