Sabalenka's mental battle with Swiatek revealed: "She focused on Iga during every training session"

French player Alizé Lim revealed Aryna Sabalenka's confession about her losses against Iga Swiatek. The Polish World No. 1 leads the head-to-head against the Belarusian 8-4 (4-1 in finals), although Sabalenka managed to win their last encounter in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.

Swiatek has taken painful victories over Sabalenka. Back in the 2023 WTA Finals, the 23-year-old Polish player defeated Sabalenka in the semifinals, which allowed her to regain the World No. 1 at the end of the season. This year, she secured consecutive wins, this time in the finals of the Madrid Open and Rome Open.

Alizé Lim recalled some things Sabalenka told her about facing Swiatek two years ago. Lim participated in Tennis Channel’s Inside In podcast and reflected on Sabalenka’s determination:

"I remember Aryna Sabalenka telling me in an interview, was it two years ago, that she would think of Iga during practice, during fitness sessions because she was so sick of losing against her on clay, and I love that."

After Sabalenka secured her second Grand Slam title at the US Open, she put pressure on Iga Swiatek, who has held the World No. 1 spot since the end of last season. However, the Belarusian narrowed the gap to less than 500 points in the Race, giving her a good chance to surpass Swiatek by the end of the season, especially after the Polish player withdrew from the China Open.

"Maybe it’s the same on the other side. I love that they’re pushing each other, and now we have this huge rivalry in women’s tennis," Lim added. "Also, the rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka makes it even more interesting now, but she’s been incredible the past few years, especially on clay. It’s good that she still has room to progress on other surfaces, but she’s been extremely dominant."