Aryna Sabalenka declares she can’t match Iga Swiatek’s ‘professionalism’ after peeking inside Pole’s locker

Aryna Sabalenka became the Madrid Open champion for the third time after beating Coco Gauff in the final.

Aryna Sabalenka declares she can’t match Iga Swiatek’s ‘professionalism’ after peeking inside Pole’s locker

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography, Cancha Central)

Aryna Sabalenka once peeked into Iga Swiatek’s locker and saw it lined with pairs of shoes. After winning her third Madrid Open title on Saturday (May 3), Sabalenka joked that she only had two pairs to her name.

In the Spanish capital, Swiatek was bidding to defend her title but was denied the same by Coco Gauff, who registered her third consecutive and fourth overall victory over the Pole in the semifinals, which was also their 15th tour-level encounter. Had Swiatek reached the summit clash, she would have set up a Madrid Open final clash with Sabalenka for the third consecutive time.

However, Swiatek currently is dealing with a slump in her form, which Sabalenka acknowledged after her victory. But Sabalenka also thinks her biggest rival is more professional than her. The official X handle of the Madrid Open shared some ‘behind-the-scene’ moments of Sabalenka after her victory, during which she revealed an amusing anecdote involving Swiatek.

I mean…I’m not like Iga. You know why, guys? The other day I was in the locker room and I had only one pair of shoes and I forgot another one. And I looked at her locker and there was like, under the locker was nine. I think nine or eight pairs of shoes. And I was like, ‘Yeah, someone is really professional and someone is just me.’ So bad I am.

Aryna Sabalenka said

Sabalenka trails 4-8 in the head-to-head record against Swiatek. Both the top two players could meet once again if both of them reach the final of the Italian Open.

But Swiatek, the defending champion, who is still chasing her first title since winning the French Open last year, won’t be the favorite in Rome because of her current form. Last year, after a blockbuster Madrid Open final, Swiatek registered another win over the Belarusian in the final of the Italian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka loves playing at the Madrid Open

Aryna Sabalenka has lifted three clay court titles, all of them which she won at the Madrid Open. She became a champion in the tournament for the first time in 2021 by beating Ash Barty and then defeated Iga Swiatek in the 2023 season. Following the match, Sabalenka made her feelings known about what it means to win another title in the first clay-court, WTA 1000 of the season.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

This year has been incredible in all matches. It gives me an extra boost of energy and a fighting spirit. Seeing all the banners that the kids carry is a dream come true, and it’s something I very much enjoy playing in front of these people. I think it’s the best thing in life.

Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference

Sabalenka became the second woman after former World No.2 Petra Kvitova to claim three Madrid Open titles. She is also the second woman after 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams in 2013 to take home both the Miami Open and the Madrid Open in the same year.

Sabalenka entered the Madrid Open with 10,768 ranking points and, after defending the 650 points and winning the Madrid Open, she added 350 points to her ranking. She surpassed the 11,000 mark for the first time and this made her just the third woman in the decade to accomplish this feat.

Before her, Williams and Swiatek achieved this. Williams, who has spent a total of 319 weeks (third overall) on top of the rankings table, spent 20 weeks in 2015 with ranking points above the 11,000 mark, the highest being 13,161. Swiatek, on the other hand, recorded this feat in 2022, 2023, and 2024, achieving her highest points (11,695) last year.

After the latest update, Swiatek remained in the second position with 6773 points. She would have dropped to the third position had Coco Gauff emerged victorious in the final.

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