Why are Eastern European tennis players at the top of the WTA ranking?

Sabalenka, who won two “Grand Slam” titles in her career – “Australian Open” in 2023 and 2024, explained why many of the world’s best tennis players come directly from Eastern European countries.

This is exactly the question the 25-year-old Belarusian was asked before the Stuttgart “WTA 500” series tournament.

“We all grew up in difficult circumstances. We’re really strong people and fighters. That’s the only explanation I can think of. At least I definitely do,” she explained.

“My youth was not easy and I always fought for my dream. I think we are resilient. But I don’t know a specific answer,” Sabalenka said and burst into laughter.

Changes in the WTA ranking, if there are no “Grand Slam” tournaments, change every week. Currently, 22-year-old Iga Šviontek is the leader of the rating, followed by Sabalenka. Czech Marketa Vondroushova is also in the top 10, while Alyona Ostapenko is currently in 10th place. True, according to the definition recommended by the European Union (EU), Latvia belongs to the group of Northern European countries.

Until recently, the top ten was occupied by the Czech Korolyna Muhova, who now occupies the 12th position. For a long time, Elina Svitolina from Ukraine was considered one of the best tennis players in the world, who is now ranked 18th, but was even in the Top 3 before giving birth to a child.