Former German tennis player
Andrea Petkovic has drawn a comparison between the
Aryna Sabalenka and
Iga Swiatek rivalry in women’s
tennis with the competitiveness between
Jannik Sinner and
Carlos Alcaraz in men’s
tennis.
Sinner and Alcaraz have become the dominant force in men’s
tennis, especially since the start of 2024, as they have shared all of the last
seven Grand Slams between them. This year, Sinner has won the Australian Open and the recently concluded
Wimbledon, whereas Alcaraz lifted the French Open title. Both players featured in the final of two out of the three Grand Slams
in 2025 as well.
On the other hand, women’s tennis has seen far more
players competing for big titles.. Since the start of 2024, five players have lifted
seven Grand Slam titles. Out of those, world number one Sabalenka and number
three-ranked Swiatek are the only players to have won two major titles. The
three others were lifted by America’s Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and the Czech Republic’s
Barbora Krejcikova.
Despite that, former world number nine Petkovic believes that there is a similarity between Sabalenka and Swiatek, who remains above the rest of the players in women’s tennis. Petkovic admitted that women’s tennis has far more competition compared to men’s tennis, with the likes of Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Keys beating the best players from time to time. However, Petkovic was of
the opinion that when everyone is playing their best tennis, Sabalenka and Swiatek
are clearly the two best players in women’s tennis, much like Sinner and
Alcaraz are in men’s tennis.
“I’ve said it several times, for me, Aryna Sabalenka and
Iga Swiatek are the two best players in the world,” she said. “They’re like
[Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz. The problem is, they’re not as consistent
as Sinner and Alcaraz at the Grand Slams. The others, the [Coco] Gauff’s, the
[Jessica] Pegula’s, can knock them out every now and then, which happens less
with the men. But when everyone is playing their best tennis, Iga and Aryna are
clear of the rest of the field.”