“Poles Don’t Really Like Her”: Iga Swiatek on Rivalry With Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek has enjoyed another brilliant season in 2023. The Polish star has dominated the women’s circuit, winning six titles in the process. The 22-year-old is fast becoming a fan favorite due to her friendly and humble nature. Recently, Swiatek opened up about her relationship with rival Aryna Sabalenka and played down any talks of hatred between the players.

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have constantly found themselves fighting for the top prizes in tennis. The two top ranked players in the world have faced off on 10 occasions, with Swiatek getting the better of Sabalenka 7 times. The duo last met at the semi-finals of the WTA Finals where Swiatek easily defeated Sabalenka in straight sets.

In an interview with Rzeczpospolita, Swiatek admitted that she has a completely different personality to Sabalenka but the duo share respect for each other. The Polish star further added that Polish people do not like her rival, but both the players are professional and kind to each other.

The 22 year-old further added that she does not want to contribute to any hatred towards any player.

“I see that Poles don’t really like her. We simply have two completely different personalities colliding. You can see the contrast. I wouldn’t say I’m a good character & she’s a bad one, because that puts her in a negative light. First of all, we have great respect for each other & are kind to each other.”

Swiatek will end the year as the world number 1 after a tussle with Aryna Sabalenka. The Pole lost her number 1 ranking after her poor performance at the US Open. However, he WTA Finals win has ensured she will end the year as the world number 1.

Iga Swiatek wants more efforts from the WTA

Iga Swiatek feels that the WTA can be more transparent with their policies for the players. The WTA came under huge scrutiny due to the poor scheduling of the WTA Finals in Cancun in Mexico. Many matches were interrupted due to rains and bad weather condition, causing problems for fans and the players.

“There is room for improvement. As players, we are dissatisfied with the calendar for next year and the increase in the number of mandatory tournaments and restrictions related to withdrawing from them. We need more balance and time to get back home. Some decisions seem to be the result of promises made to third parties, federations and tournament organizers. “

Iga Swiatek has also asked for lesser number of matches and tournaments throughout the year. She feels that the third party organization make the decisions and players welfare is ignored.

The world number 1 feels that the players advice in not considered while taking decisions. Recently, Stan Wawrinka made a similar point regarding ATP. It will be interesting to see how WTA reacts to such quotes from the WTA world number 1 player.