Data analyst behind Aryna Sabalenka's success: 'It allowed her to work on other parts of her game'

Shane Liyanage, founder of Data Driven Sports Analytics, has worked with Aryna Sabalenka over the last four years and is preparing for his 5th season collaborating with the Belarusian player. The use of a data analyst has been crucial in improving specific aspects of her game and dominating the WTA Tour.

Sabalenka won four titles this year – two Grand Slam titles and two WTA 1000 – and reached three other finals. She finished the season as world No. 1 for the first time, dethroning Iga Swiatek just weeks before the season ended.

From an early age, the Belarusian established herself among the elite, thanks to her powerful baseline game and aggressive playstyle. However, unforced errors and double faults were obstacles that held her back, aspects Sabalenka had to overcome to achieve her best results.

Back in 2021, Sabalenka decided to hire Shane Liyanage and his Data Analytics company, which provides personalised statistical data tailored to the player. This data is used in collaboration with her coaching team to maximise her strengths and address weaknesses. Liyanage has worked with several elite players, including Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and Karolina Pliskova.

According to the data analyst expert, most top-100 players now rely on some form of data analysis, either individually or through their federations: “I believe that in all these examples, 70% of the top 100 players on both tours have it. If we look back three years ago, it would have been around 50%. Now it’s 70%. In four or five years, almost everyone in the top 100 will have it, in my opinion.”

The data provided is crucial for teams to prepare even the smallest details of a match. “In the recent US Open final between Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, we thought we saw something. With the new balls, Pegula seemed to be doing really well; with the older balls, Aryna was doing well. That’s what it looked like,” he commented.

“We went back and again, we had to write a little bit of custom code, but we were able to pull out and our eyes were correct. Pegula played a lot better with the new balls, Sabalenka played a lot better with the older balls. And of course, we’re going to take that and think about it and see if there’s actually something we need to do or not.”

Liyanage outlined the areas where Sabalenka has improved, recalling the serious double fault issues she faced in the past: “There was that one Australian Open where Aryna was averaging 20 double faults and she still made the fourth round. So she was giving 20 points to her opponent and still winning lots of matches. And it meant other parts of her game improved.

"I think she opened up to working on the technical side because that happened. For me, that year was a real blessing, and she doesn’t win three Grand Slams without going through that.”

On specific improvements in Sabalenka’s game, the data analyst added: “We’ve found an optimal number in terms of forehand speed and spin rate that we’d like, backhand speed and spin rate, even the serve as well. And internally, I know Gavin, Anton, and I, we talk about Aryna winning matches with 85%. And what we mean by that is 85% of the power spin.”

“She finds that range where that number there is bigger than the WTA Tour averages for both speed and spin, but it’s a reliable ball that we are confident she can make a lot of balls,” he added. “It’s actually a challenging ball because it’s still fast, but it’s spinning a lot. And on the WTA tour, if you can get the ball out of the hitting zone of players, it makes it really hard for them. So I think definitely that’s been one of the big improvements.”

“And she’s also got more variety in her game. I think anyone that’s watched her in the last 18 months can see that she’s using the drop shot a lot more. She’s trying to get to the net a little bit more and being more comfortable with finesse shots and slices and things that I think, at the start of her career, it was very foreign to her to play those shots.”

“And it was only in very extreme circumstances that she would do it. But now she trusts herself even in a pressure moment to use those. And then movement, her movements have improved as well. And something that we’re going to continue to work on and to get even better going forward,” Liyanage concluded.