Aryna Sabalenka has openly discussed the burgeoning rivalry with WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek, emphasizing its positive impact on her performance. At a press conference during Media Day on the eve of Roland Garros, Sabalenka expressed her thoughts on their competition and her approach to overcoming the Polish champion.
“The rivalry that Iga Swiatek and I are creating is fantastic, but we are not alone because Cori Gauff and Elena Rybakina also fight for the maximum goals,” Sabalenka remarked. “Rivalries like these help me improve every day and give me extra motivation. I hope we will continue to find ourselves in the last rounds of the big tournaments.”
Sabalenka, who faces Erika Andreeva in the first round of Roland Garros, has had a solid season on clay. However, she faced tough defeats against Swiatek in the finals of the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome. Despite these setbacks, Sabalenka remains focused and determined to improve.
“If I have one thing very clear, it is that I cannot obsess over beating Swiatek,” Sabalenka stated. “I have to focus on myself and everything I have to do to be a better tennis player. If I succeed, I know I will have opportunities to prove myself against her. She has achieved impressive results in this tournament, but I love difficult challenges. She motivates me most of all and gives me great energy to fight for complicated goals like beating Iga in this event.”
During the same media session, Swiatek echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the mutual benefits of their rivalry.
“Aryna and I push each other to improve and every time we face each other great battles arise,” Swiatek said. “She is a great opponent, we need each other to improve. We hope to be able to continue to face each other in big events because, if our rivalry is important, it will help women’s tennis get more and more attention.”
Swiatek also shared insights on her preparation for the tournament and the confidence she gained from her recent performance in Rome.
“My coach made some masterful adjustments on my serve, and I feel they are already paying off,” Swiatek explained. “I hope to be able to maintain consistency in my serve because this helps me improve my whole game and face moments of great stress with confidence. The tournament is long and many things can happen. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous because I know the expectations on me are very high and that creates pressure. However, I think that stress helps me motivate myself and bring out the best version of myself. I see myself on the right path and feel like I can continue to improve.”
As the French Open unfolds, the dynamic between Sabalenka and Swiatek promises to be a focal point, driving both players to elevate their games and capture the attention of the tennis world.
Iga Swiatek in 2024
WWWWLWLWWW Now ranked no.1, Swiatek played her last match on the 18th of May when she beat world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-3 in the final in Rome to win her 22nd career title.
Until now, during this year Swiatek achieved an overall 38-4 record. The Pole clinched 5 titles in 2024 in Australia, Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.
Iga Swiatek will face the world no.148 Leolia Jeanjean in the 1st round on Monday at 2:00 pm on Court PHILIPPE-CHATRIER. They have never competed against each other up to now in top competitions.
Swiatek clinched 5 titles in 2024 in Australia, Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.
The Pole won 22 titles in her career: 13 on hard courts and 9 on clay courts. (See the list of her titles)
Aryna Sabalenka in 2024
LLWWWWWWWL At the moment ranked no.2, Aryna played her last match on the 18th of May when she was overcome by world no.1 Iga Swiatek 6-2 6-3 in the final in Rome (draw).
Currently, during this year Sabalenka has managed to achieve a composed 25-7 win-loss record. Sabalenka conquered 1 title at the Australian Open. Aryna was the runner-up in Brisbane, Madrid and Rome.
Aryna Sabalenka will face the world no.100 Erika Andreeva in the 1st round. They have never competed against each other up to now in top competitions.
The Belarussian conquered 1 title in 2024 at the Australian Open. Aryna reached the final in Brisbane (Brisbane International), in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) and in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia).
The Belarussian won 14 titles in her career: 10 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka fought against each other 11 times. Their head to head is 8-3 for Swiatek. Before, the last time they locked horns, Iga Swiatek won 6-2 6-3 in the final in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) on the 18th of May 2024.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka |
| Embed from Getty Images |
