WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek leave rivalry aside to shoot fun video together ahead of WTA Finals 2024
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, the current World Nos. 1 and 2 in women's tennis, recently seemed to put their rivalry aside as they paired up to shoot a video. Both Sabalenka and Swiatek are in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as they prepare to kickstart their respective 2024 WTA Finals campaigns, their last competitive outings this year.
Sabalenka and Swiatek have established themselves as the two dominant forces in women's tennis in recent years. The Belarusian has three Major titles to her name, having won the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens and this season's US Open. Meanwhile, Swiatek's dominance has mostly come on clay. Out of her five Grand Slam titles, four have come on the red clay of Roland Garros. The Pole also won the 2022 US Open.
Recently, owing to a deduction in points due to their lack of participation at mandatory events, the duo switched places in the WTA Tour rankings. For the most part of this season, it was Iga Swiatek who was the World No. 1. However, after the recent shake-up, it's Aryna Sabalenka who finds herself at the top of the pile.
During a recent practice session in the buildup to the year-end WTA Finals, Sabalenka and Swiatek adorably came together and collaborated to make a TikTok video. This adorable moment was captured by Tennis Channel cameras on-site and subsequently shared on the tennis broadcasting network's official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Watch the heartwarming moment unfold below:
Earlier this year, Swiatek had spoken up about her rivalry with Sabalenka.
"I lost the match" - Iga Swiatek on how taking Aryna Sabalenka for granted is a mistake
Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2024 Italian Open. After her title triumph at the WTA 1000 event, the Pole laid bare how taking the Belarusian for granted comes at a dire cost.
"Aryna [Sabalenka] is a great player and you can't take anything for granted. So even when you're leading 6-2, 5-3, you need to really be intense and not let any point go away. I remember when we played in Madrid last year and I literally lost two points that I shouldn't, and I lost the match because of that," Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have faced each other on 12 occasions so far on the WTA Tour. The Pole leads the pair's head-to-head 8-4.