Iga Swiatek says what ‘no one expects’ Aryna Sabalenka to do on the WTA Tour
Swiatek loves her rivalry with Sabalenka, with the former currently second only to the latter in the WTA rankings.
The Pole topped the pile for much of the way in 2024, but was overtaken by the Belarusian at the very last.
Swiatek is now the second seed at the Miami Open, and takes on 22nd seed Elina Svitolina in the round of 16.
Top seed Sabalenka meanwhile meets 14th seed Danielle Collins at the same stage, with the American aiming to defend her title.
Iga Swiatek says ‘no one expects’ Aryna Sabalenka to drop her level
Both Swiatek and Sabalenka are yet to drop a set at this year’s Miami Open, with the former having been asked in her latest press conference if getting back to world number one really matters to her.
“Well, of course it matters,” she said. “Like, this is something we work for. But mathematically it’s going to be tough for me to come back to number 1 soon, even if I would win all the tournaments, I think.
“So yeah, I mean, I kind of got over it. It was tough, like, in the Middle East swing because I realise I have this hole in my rankings because I didn’t play China swing.
“It’s not going to be possible to replace these points because I’ve been winning a lot that season. In early part of… sorry.
“I was winning a lot last year in early part of the season. I’m just focusing on the work. If I’m going to play well, it’s going to come back.
“Also Aryna is playing well. Like, no one expects her to drop suddenly. She’s doing [a] good job. I think we’re both competing at, like, similar level. We both deserve to fight for the spot.
“But it’s not like I’m thinking about it a lot. I’m more focusing on just improving as a tennis player and on my game. I think that’s the healthiest way to go.”
Iga Swiatek had a ‘target’ on her back at times as world number one
Sabalenka has had a roller-coaster season so far, which started out with a superb win at the Brisbane International.
She then lost the Australian Open final to Madison Keys, and followed that up by losing her first match at the Qatar Open.
The world number one then fell in the round of 16 at the Dubai Tennis Championships, before losing another final at Indian Wells.
She remains top of the pile on the WTA in Miami, with Swiatek doing her utmost to close the gap on her rival.
Also asked what it felt like being the highest-ranked player in the world, Swiatek said: “Honestly, every month differently depending on the challenges I faced.
“Sometimes I felt like I have a target on my back. Sometimes I just went for it and it gave me, like, extra boost. I’ve been number one for a long time, so it’s impossible to always feel the same thing.”