Aryna Sabalenka domination prediction, Sam Smith, Jelena Dokic comments, exclusive

Aryna Sabalenka is the undisputed queen of hard court tennis, and she could be on the verge of expanding her monarchy and becoming a year-round powerhouse.

The Belarusian has played in each of the last four hard court grand slam finals. She won three, and lost to Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open.

On Saturday night she is chasing a third-straight Australian Open crown. Should she beat Madison Keys, she'll become the sixth woman to win three-straight in the open era.

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And there are some massive names on that list - Margaret Court (1969-1971), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1974-1976), Steffi Graf (1988-1990), Monica Seles (1991-1993), and most recently Martina Hingis (1997-1999).

Aryna Sabalenka is on the brink of dominating women's tennis on all surfaces. AP

On a 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park, her domination of Rod Laver Arena in the past three years has been nothing short of extraordinary.

She went through the 2024 tournament without dropping a single set. In fact, when she lost the second set of her quarter final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday, it was the first set she had lost since the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina. That was the only set she dropped in her 2023 campaign.

That's 40 sets won of a possible 42.

And at Flushing Meadows, she's dropped only four sets in the past two years. Crucially, two were in that 2023 final.

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But outside the hard courts of Melbourne Park, facing Sabalenka isn't nearly the same prospect. She's made the semi finals at her last two Wimbledons in 2021 and 2023 - she missed 2022 and 2024 - and has only made it as far as the semi finals at Roland-Garros.

But speaking on Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve, Jelena Dokic believes Sabalenka now has the "full repertoire" of shots to win on all surfaces.

"If she wins, the question will be 'how many more can she win', because she's going to have four to her name," Dokic said.

"She's already said 'my eye is on Roland-Garros and Wimbledon'. We know definitely at Wimbledon she's got the weapons to do it, and she even says herself 'I've not got the game to play on clay' and to win Roland-Garros, her least favourite of the surfaces.

Sabalenka in action in the semi-final against Paula Badosa. AP

"That's what she's worked on. She's added things to her game, the variations, (and) she's now got a full repertoire of shots to be able to win more grand slams."

Host Nick McArdle then put it to Dokic and fellow panelist Sam Smith that Sabalenka, aged only 26, "might only be just getting started".

"There's no doubt ... imagine the confidence if she wins a third (Australian Open)," Smith said.

"She is rolling. I don't think she's hit her prime yet. I think there's so much more to come from her.

"I can see her winning Wimbledon, Swiatek will certainly be the favourite at Roland-Garros, but ... (Sabalenka) has started to separate herself even from the rest of the top-10.

"If she wins three here, she could certainly win Wimbledon, she could certainly win the US Open and she might win Roland-Garros.

"The next few years, she could really get a bumper crop of slams."

Dokic said winning a third Australian Open would also only make her a more daunting opponent for her rivals.

"If she wins this one, not just because it's three in a row, she will have extra aura – even though she already does," she said.

"Players are going to go on court almost feeling like they're a little bit lost before they get out there. She's an imposing figure.

"Her game now is just on another level. If she wins this, there will be that extra where players will go 'well how do we really beat her', and she will separate herself from the field."

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