"I'll be nicer to my opponents" - Aryna Sabalenka jokingly disapproves of Iga Swiatek's double bagel to Anastasia Potapova in French Open 4R
Aryna Sabalenka has humorously assessed rival Iga Swiatek's utterly dominant display against Anastasia Potapova in the fourth round of the French Open. Swiatek and Potapova's contest on Sunday, June 2, was one of the most one-sided matches in recent times, with the Pole securing a 6-0, 6-0 win in just 40 minutes, the World No. 1's shortest ever outing on the WTA Tour.
World No. 2 Sabalenka evaluated Swiatek's superiority over Potapova at a press conference after her fourth-round (6-2, 6-3) victory over Emma Navarro, where she was clinical in her own right. The Belarusian revealed that she had watched the match between the Pole and the Russian and was amazed by Swiatek's "level" of play. Sabalenka also said that she feels "sorry" for Potapova.
"I was watching that match actually and I was like "Oh wow! That's just another level". It was so intense. Also, (I feel) sorry for Anastasia, because it was just too good from Iga," Sabalenka said.
The World No. 2 went on to say that watching Swiatek dismantle Potapova made her temporarily want to aim for a similar scoreline against Navarro. However, she admitted that she later talked herself out of it, joking that it would be better if Swiatek alone dished out the bagels.
"I was stopping myself from trying to do the same because you can get really crazy with that and I was like, "No Aryna. Just focus on yourself. You don't have to do better than her. It's okay. That just wouldn't work. So bagels, this is something about Iga. I'll just leave it for her. I'll be nicer to my opponents," Sabalenka stated, adding a pinch of humour to her response.
Sabalenka rules out obsessing over defeating Swiatek
Sabalenka spoke in a more serious tone at the pre-tournament press conference, when she was asked to assess a potential meeting against Swiatek in the final. The Belarusian came into Roland Garros on the back of two back-to-back WTA 1000 final losses to the Pole at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
The two-time reigning Australian Open champion said that obsessing with doing better than Swiatek would not bear any fruit. Instead, she expressed that her commitment is solely towards improving her own game.
"If I have one thing clear, it is that I cannot obsess over beating Iga, but rather I must focus on myself and everything I must do to be a better tennis player. If I manage to do that, I know that I will have opportunities to prove myself against her here," Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka is set to clash against Mirra Andreeva next in the quarterfinals, while two-time defending French Open champion, Swiatek is slated to play reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
If Sabalenka progresses to the semifinals, she will face either Jasmine Paolini or Elena Rybakina. Meanwhile, if Swiatek reaches the semis, it will be a toss-up between Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur as far as her opponent is concerned.