According to Iga Swiatek, any narrative presenting Aryna Sabalenka as the bad one in the rivalry must end immediately.
Having both won Grand Slams and held the top spot in the world rankings this season, Swiatek and Sabalenka have emerged as the two best players on the WTA Tour. The rivalry between Swiatek and Sabalenka is intensifying and is expected to be one of the greatest in women’s tennis history, largely due to the views held by fans that Swiatek is better than Sabalenka.
The conflict in Ukraine, which Russia invaded with the help of Belarus, Sabalenka’s birth country, has caused a great deal of that. Ukraine borders Poland, so the conflict has also affected them. As a result, many have attempted to analyze their rivalry on the court from a geopolitical standpoint.
Though Swiatek and her partner may not get along well, she has requested that this end, stating that she will not participate in inciting hatred towards anyone.
Swiatek expressed her thoughts about her rival Sabalenka and said: “I see that Poles don’t really like her. We have two completely different personalities colliding. You can see the contrast. I wouldn’t say I’m a good character and she’s a bad one because that puts her in a negative light.”
She added: “We are just different. I don’t want to be one of those people who judges. I know what life is like on the Internet and I don’t want to contribute to hatred towards anyone. First of all, we have great respect for each other and are kind to each other.”
Iga Swiatek in 2023
LWWWWLWWWW Now ranked no.1, Swiatek played her last match on the 6th of November when she overcame world no.5 Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-0 in the final in Cancun to win her 17th career title.
At the moment, during this season Swiatek has a compiled 68-11 match record. Swiatek has won 6 titles in 2023 in Doha, Stuttgart, French Open, Warsaw, Beijing and Cancun. Swiatek reached the final in Dubai and Madrid.
Aryna Sabalenka in 2023
WLWWWWWWWW Now the world no.2, Sabalenka played her last match on the 5th of November when she lost to world no.1 Iga Swiatek 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in Cancun (draw).
Currently, during this season Aryna owns a 55-14 record. Sabalenka conquered 3 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open and Madrid. Sabalenka got to the final in Indian Wells, Stuttgart and U.S. Open.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka played each other 9 times. Their head to head is 6-3 for Swiatek. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Iga Swiatek won 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in Cancun (WTA Finals) on the 5th of November 2023.
