Aryna Sabalenka shares her honest feelings about how Iga Swiatek pushes her to be better
Aryna Sabalenka recently opened up about how Iga Swiatek motivates her to elevate her game and be a better player. The World No.1 and World No.2 have met 12 times so far on the WTA Tour, with Swiatek emerging victorious in eight of those matches.
Sabalenka recently wrapped up her 2025 Brisbane International by winning the tournament. She was the top seed and she kicked off her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. The World No.1 started strong by defeating Renata Zarazua 6-4, 6-0 in her opening match and then went on to secure a victory over 15th seed Yulia Putintseva with a score of 7-6(2), 6-4 in the third round.
Sabalenka continued by triumphing 6-3, 6-4 over Marie Bouzkova in the quarterfinals before registering a 6-3, 6-2 win over eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals to book her place in the final. In the championship match, Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set down to beat Polina Kudermetova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and win her 18th WTA singles title.
During the post-match press conference, Sabalenka was asked about how Iga Swiatek's success motivates her to compete at the same level. In response, the World No.1 expressed how she and the Pole "push each other" to be better.
Aryna Sabalenka went on to mention that she doesn't focus too much on Swiatek or how many Grand Slams she has won. She revealed that instead she focuses on herself, her game and how she can improve further and push herself to the limit.
“Well, I love the way we push each other. It's not like I'm thinking about her, about her amount of Grand Slams. I'm more focusing on myself, just trying to push myself to the limit and see how far I can get in this sport . At the end of my career I want to look back and be proud of myself . We'll talk about that at the end of my career,” Aryna Sabalenka said.
Iga Swiatek began her 2025 season by helping Poland to the United Cup final. The 23-year-old won all of her singles matches en route to the final. Here, Poland faced Team USA and Swiatek lost 4-6, 4-6 to Coco Gauff before Taylor Fritz edged out Hubert Hurkacz to seal victory for the Americans.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will next compete at Australian Open 2025
![Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open [Source: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/01/68bf1-17360865111398-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will next compete at the 2025 Australian Open which is scheduled to take place from January 12 to January 26, 2025.
Sabalenka will enter the Melbourne Major as the two-time defending champion, having won the title in 2023 against Elena Rybakina and then winning it again last year by defeating Zheng Qinwen.
Meanwhile, Swiatek's best performance at the Australian Open was in 2022 when she reached the semifinals. She defeated Harriet Dart, Rebecca Peterson, Daria Kasatkina, and Sorana Cirstea in the first four rounds, and then overcame Kaia Kanepi in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Danielle Collins in the semifinals.
During the 2024 Melbourne Major, Iga Swiatek triumphed over Sofia Kenin and Danielle Collins in the first and second rounds, respectively, before being defeated by Linda Noskova in the third round.