"I totally get Iga Swiatek crying... I would have done the same" - Aryna Sabalenka empathizes with Pole over her French Open breakdown
Aryna Sabalenka has empathized with Iga Swiatek after a video of the Pole crying at the ongoing French Open surfaced. Swiatek's tears came in the aftermath of her nerve-racking 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 victory over Naomi Osaka in the second round.
The Pole, the two-time defending French Open champion and reigning World No. 1, went into her match against Osaka on Wednesday, May 29, as the undisputed favorite. However, the Japanese pushed the status quo aside, and produced a brilliant display of tennis.
Osaka's superlative performance left Swiatek trailing the former World No. 1 2-5 in the third and deciding set. However, the Pole did not throw in the towel, instead choosing to take the level of her own game up by several notches. Ultimately, she saved a match point and won five consecutive games to dash Osaka's hopes.
After the match, Swiatek let her emotions loose in the gym, and the cameras were there to capture the moment. Unsurprisingly, the four-time Grand Slam champion's tears became a major talking point. Recently, Swiatek's fiercest rival at present and World No. 2, Sabalenka, also had her say on the subject.
Sabalenka, who was speaking after her 7-5, 6-1 third-round win over close friend Paula Badosa, opined that she would have done exactly the same had she been in Swiatek's position.
"Yeah, I just saw a little clip of her crying. 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," Sabalenka said during a press conference.
The Belarusian also assessed the perception of pressure in tennis. According to her, pressure can overwhelm players if they focus solely on it. However, the World No. 2 claimed that she herself chooses to focus on herself as much as possible and as a result, does not feel as much of it.
"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," Sabalenka added.
"Even though I felt something on the court, it kind of hit me after" - Iga Swiatek on her French Open breakdown
Iga Swiatek herself spoke up about the emotions within her that led her to crying following her narrow win over Osaka. According to the Pole, she was overwhelmed by her emotions and the thought of being ousted by the Japanese.
"Well, just overwhelmed with emotions. I honestly thought that I'm going to be out of the tournament. Even though I felt something on court, it kind of hit me after. I was happy that I won, but I still felt like I was really on the edge. I just cried," Swiatek said during a press conference after her third-round win over Marie Bouzkova.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have both reached the fourth round of the French Open, where they are set to face Anastasia Potapova and Emma Navarro respectively.