Sabalenka: I Enjoy the “Cold” Rivalry with Swiatek

The world number one, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, revealed that she and her main rival, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, have developed a “cold” relationship off the court, in contrast to their fierce battles on it.

In an interview ahead of the Brisbane International, the opening event of the tennis season, the 26-year-old player said she wanted to ensure that her rivalry with the world number two Polish player didn’t become too intense.

The two trained together in Abu Dhabi last week, and Sabalenka later shared a training video on her TikTok account.

Sabalenka said, “I thought we should stay together and just enjoy our rivalry, not be harsh with each other.”

She added, “So, I asked her to train with me, and we did it.”

She continued, “I was doing fitness exercises, and she asked if she could join us. We filmed it and posted it.”

Sabalenka concluded, “It has become cooler between us as well. I have to say, she’s a really nice person. It was fun getting to know each other.”

Sabalenka is preparing to defend her title at the Australian Open next month in Melbourne, amidst hot conditions in Brisbane, while Swiatek is competing in the United Cup mixed teams tournament in Sydney.

Sabalenka has won the last two editions at Melbourne Park and could become the first player to win three consecutive titles since Swiss Martina Hingis in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

However, she insisted that she wasn’t focused on this achievement: “Honestly, I didn’t even know about it until a few days ago when I saw it on X.”

She added, “I mean, it’s great to achieve such an amazing goal, and it’s a dream for many young players. But, again, I think it’s better to focus on myself. If I can give my best, I know I can achieve it.”

She also stated that heading to Australia as world number one wouldn’t change her approach: “It doesn’t matter what your ranking is. You have to go there, compete, fight, and give your best. It doesn’t matter if you’re ranked number one, two, three, or 100.”