“Women’s tennis needs this kind of consistency to see world No 1 & No 2 facing in the finals”: Sabalenka
The pair have met eight times in the last 18 months with Swiatek now holding a 5-3 edge in their head-to-head
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open
Image Credit: Laurent Lairys / Panoramic
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka believes that women’s tennis needs more matches between the world’s top two players such as the WTA Madrid Open final. Second-ranked Sabalenka went up against top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the Madrid final on Saturday, with the Belarusian coming away a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 winner.
While many have criticized the lack of a consistent rivalry in the women’s game in recent years, the Swiatek vs Sabalenka rivalry could be stepping up to fill that lacuna. This was their second clash in 2023 (1-1 now) after they met six times between the 2021 and 2022 editions of the WTA Finals (Swiatek leads 4-2 there for an overall 5-3 record in the series).
“I think that’s something amazing. I think women’s tennis need this kind of consistency to see world No. 1 and world No. 2 facing in the finals,” Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, said. “I think it’s more enjoyable for fans to watch and it’s more intense. I’m not saying that it’s not intense with the rest of the players anyway. If a player reaches the final, it means that she’s in a good shape and it’s going to be tough. But I think when people see these kind of finals, it makes them want to see it, like want to see this battle. That’s something amazing, and hopefully we can keep doing what we are doing this season.”
It’s like not just bomb, bomb, you know. You have to work for every point, and that’s really amazing.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka had nothing but respect for her Polish opponent and rival after the final on Sunday, saying that Swiatek has pushed her to work harder and become a better player.
Hopefully we can play many more finals this season.
Aryna Sabalenka on Iga Swiatek
“I definitely respect her a lot. She’s a great player, and what she did last season and what she’s keep doing, it’s really motivate me a lot to improve, to keep working hard, to, to keep fighting,” the Belarusian said. “I know that it’s always battles against her. It’s always really great matches. I would say that like this year matches is completely different matches than it was last year. I improved a lot, and I really want to win against her, because she’s such a great player. To have this win, especially on clay, that’s something unbelievable. I really happy that I’m able to fight against her and I’m able to get these wins so it’s not like so super boring for people to watch our matches. (Laughter.) It was really intense. She always push me to the limits. I really enjoying our battles. Hopefully we can play many more finals this season.”
This was Sabalenka’s 13th WTA singles title but only her second on clay, both of which have come in Madrid. But with her new-found maturity, the 25-year-old says she now enjoys playing on the surface.
“I really enjoy playing on clay, because I have extra time. It’s not super fast, so I can go for my powerful shots, because I have not so many but I have a lot of time here,” she said. “That’s why I really enjoy clay, because it’s longer rallies. It’s like not just bomb, bomb, you know. You have to work for every point, and that’s really amazing. I think last year, or actually 2021 when I first made the Stuttgart final, I thought, oh, probably clay court actually suits my game (smiling).”
A clash between the two in Paris on Saturday June 10 for the Roland-Garros title would perhaps be a fitting next step in the Swiatek vs. Sabalenka rivalry.
