“She thinks about her even during fitness sessions,” Top Tennis ace reveals how Aryna Sabalenka coped up with losing to Iga Swiatek on clay

WTA star Alize Lim reveals Aryna Sabalenka's mindset after defeats against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek on clay.

“She thinks about her even during fitness sessions,” Top Tennis ace reveals how Aryna Sabalenka coped up with losing to Iga Swiatek on clay

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, (in circle) Alize Lim (via Tennis365/X)

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have become the face of WTA rivalry in recent years. With both holding the top two positions in the rankings, their competitiveness on the court has reached its climax. WTA ace Alize Lim revealed Sabalenka’s confessions about her losses to Swiatek.

Swiatek leads Sabalenka 8-4 in their head-to-head record. However, the Polish star leads the Belarusian 4-1 lead in the finals. This year they have met thrice, two times in the finals and once in the semifinals. Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in three sets to claim her first Madrid Open in April.

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In Rome, Swiatek earned a straight-sets win over Sabalenka to clinch the Italian Open. Sabalenka then got her revenge against Swiatek at the Cincinnati Open in August. The World No. 2 defeated the top seed 6-3, 6-3 en route to taking home the title. The Belarusian later won her maiden US Open, beating Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the final.

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Sabalenka’s win in New York puts her in a good position as she aims to topple Swiatek from the No. 1 position. In an episode of Tennis Channel‘s podcast, Lim revealed Sabalenka’s determination to always beat Swiatek.

I remember Aryna Sabalenka telling me in an interview, maybe two years ago, that she thinks about Iga during training and even during fitness sessions because she was so tired of losing to her on clay, and I love that.
Alizé Lim said (via TennisUptodate)
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Swiatek recently withdrew from the China Open in Beijing, despite being the defending champion. The 23-year-old has given Sabalenka a good opportunity to close the gap between them in the WTA ranking.

Aryna Sabalenka reveals her goal for the remainder of the 2024

Aryna Sabalenka has admitted that her goal is to end the year as the World No. 1. She was No. 1 for only eight weeks last year after finishing as the runner-up at the US Open. The Belarusian lost the position after Iga Swiatek defeated her in the WTA Finals in Cancun.

Aryna Sabalenka (3)
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X)

Swiatek withdrawing from the China Open, where she is the defending champion, means she is set to lose 1000 ranking points. That leaves Sabalenka in a good position to win the title in Beijing and close the gap to less than 500 points ahead of the Wuhan Open in October. Sabalenka has stated that she is determined to end the year as the World No. 1.

That’s one of my goals, to finish the season at world No 1 There are only three tournaments left. I’m just trying to bring my best tennis on court.After the season, I’ll see if it was enough to finish the year at world No 1 or have to improve something else to get to world No 1.
Aryna Sabalenka said (via Tennis365)
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Sabalenka has been drawn to face a qualifier or a lucky loser in the second round of the China Open after earning a first round bye. She will likely face Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals and Jessica Pegula in the final.