The solidarity in tears: Sabalenka connects with Swiatek's raw emotions

World number two Aryna Sabalenka has stated that she understands why Poland’s Iga Swiatek cried after her incredible win in the French Open. The 22-year-old won a hard-fought contest against Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the second round of the mega-event with a score of 7-6, 1-6, 7-5.

After the match, a video was released on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — where Swiatek can be seen crying in the locker room after the match. Sabalenka, who is also participating in the French Open, where she booked her place in the fourth round of the mega-event after beating Spain’s Paula Badosa in straight set, was recently quoted in a report where she stated that she understood why the reigning world number was emotional after such a match as she would’ve felt the same if she would’ve gone through a similar contest.

"Yeah, I just saw a little clip of her crying,” said Sabalenka. “I totally get it, it was a very tough match. She was very close to losing that match and I think she was just throwing all her tension out and I think I would have done the same. There's a lot of pressure in tennis but only if you focus on that pressure. Me, personally, I only try to focus on myself, my game, and how I'm playing.”