Aryna Sabalenka says she’s happy she has Iga Swiatek on tour: “She’s great. She’s unbelievable. She’s been world #1 for a long time. I’m really happy we have Iga on tour. Someone who motivates me to keep pushing, trying, & improving. That’s the real sport. When you push…
"Someone who motivates me to keep pushing, keep trying, keep improving myself": Sabalenka shows admiration for rival Swiatek
WTATuesday, 05 September 2023 at 22:00
Aryna
Sabalenka highlighted the dominance of Iga Swiatek as the world No. 1 and
expressed her happiness about Swiatek's presence on the WTA Tour.
The
Belarusian recently secured the world No. 1 ranking, taking it away from
Swiatek and ending her 75-week reign as the world's top-ranked player. This
change in ranking occurred during the round of 16 match between Swiatek and
world No. 21 Jelena Ostapenko.
Ostapenko
emerged victorious, preventing the four-time Grand Slam champion from defending
the 2000 points she earned in 2022 when she became the champion. Sabalenka, who
had already advanced past the third round with a victory over Clara Burel,
learned about her new world No. 1 status when she woke up on Monday, just
before facing Daria Kasatkina.
During her
first press conference as the WTA Ranking leader, Sabalenka expressed
admiration for her great rival of the past year, Iga Swiatek.
“I mean,
she's great. She's unbelievable. She has been World No. 1 for a long time, most
of the weeks, I think. I’m really happy that we have Iga on tour, someone who
motivates me to keep pushing, keep trying, keep improving myself. I think
that's the real sport, you know,” Aryna Sabalenka said in the post-match press
conference.
"When
you kind of push yourself to the limits and you’re trying to get better, I
think it's a normal process if someone changes another one in the ranking
spots," Aryna Sabalenka said.
"I
feel like it's great that we both are playing great this year, we're kind of
pushing each other. I really hope we'll keep doing that and we'll keep facing
each other in the very last stages of the tournaments, we'll battle against
each other," she added.
Sabalenka
now aims to reach the semifinals of the US Open once again. If she succeeds,
she would have reached the semifinals in every Grand Slam of the year and it
would be her third consecutive semifinal appearance at Flushing Meadows.
She will
face a talented opponent in world No. 23 Zheng Qinwen. The Chinese player
surprised everyone by defeating the 2022 finalist Ons Jabeur, displaying
excellent tennis. She will step onto the court with nothing to lose and a
hunger for victory as she seeks her first Grand Slam semifinal.
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