World No. 1 Iga Swiatek insists she is not thinking about Aryna Sabalenka when practicing but acknowledges that she is always aware that the competition is going after her, including the Belarusian two-time Grand Slam champion.
On Saturday, two top-ranked players Swiatek and Sabalenka played the best WTA match of the year as the Polish world No. 1 outlasted the second-ranked Belarusian 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7) after saving three championship points in three hours and 11 minutes of an absolute fight.
After the final, both Swiatek and Sabalenka spoke with major respect about each other. And during her appearance on the WTA Insider podcast, Swiatek was asked about Sabalenka admitting several times over the last few years that she is thinking about her when practicing hard.
“Well, I wouldn’t say I have this vision like she has. I’m not thinking about her when I’m practicing or something. It’s more that I know that the competition is big. And I know if I’m gonna stop for a while, I might be pushed out, you know?” Swiatek said on the WTA Insider podcast.
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Graham Denholm
Sabalenka wants more cracks at Swiatek in WTA finals
In Madrid, Swiatek and Sabalenka clashed against each other in a WTA final for the fourth time in their careers. So far, Swiatek has had more success in their meetings, beating the Belarusian seven times in their 10 meetings and also going 3-1 in their four meetings that came in finals.
“I really want to see many more finals against her (Iga). I wanna see more wins than losses. But I really hope that we’ll be able to increase the level every year. I’m really happy to be one of these Big 3 as you call us. It’s really motivating me a lot to keep working,” Sabalenka said.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka © Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
At this week’s Rome Open, Swiatek and Sabalenka will be the two top-seeded players and they will again be able to only meet in the final.
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