Sabalenka Sets Her Sights on Swiatek: The Battle for World No.1 Heats Up
WTASaturday, 25 March 2023 at 07:00
Updated at Wednesday, 26 March 2025 at 20:35
Aryna Sabalenka seems to be very motivated to reach the World No. 1 spot. She sent a clear warning to Iga Swiatek during the Miami Open.
Sabalenka started this season by winning the Australian Open. It was her first Grand Slam title, but she certainly doesn't want it to be her last. She was able to continue her form in Indian Wells, reaching the final, and she now started her Miami Open campaign with a win as well.
Sabalenka beat Shelby Rogers to start the Miami Open, which helped her to start the chase for the World No. 1 spot. Iga Swiatek was forced to withdraw from the event, which significantly increased the Belarusian's chances of reaching the No. 1 spot.
Sabalenka spoke about her goals after the win over Rogers, admitting that she wants to add to her legacy by reaching the World No. 1 spot and winning more majors.
"It was an amazing moment, but time to move on. It's another tournament, it wasn't the only one goal. Of course I want to be No. 1. Of course I want to win more Grand Slams, which is normal. I think every one of us, everyone wants to do that. Probably that's why it helped me to stay focused and helped me to keep working and just keep doing my best every day."
Despite having clear goals, Sabalenka is also aware of what it takes to reach them. Naturally, she follows what Swiatek does, and that helped her to understand that the Polish player is now a level above her and the rest of the Tour.
"You always have to keep improving, keep learning, because a lot of young players are coming. For example, Swiatek, she's moving better. So the first matches I played against her, I felt like physically I'm not ready."
"I'm getting tired after a few points and that's not how I'm going to win this match. So we spoke with my fitness coach to improve my fitness more. We start working even more, so I improved that part of my game."
But even though she realizes that Swiatek is now likely the better player, she sees it as a motivation. The Belarusian said that the fact that the Pole is better than her motivates her to beat her and become better herself.
"Every time when someone is beating you, it's pushing you to think about what you have to improve and this is how you keep moving. If someone beat me, I go watch my match. I take some lessons from there. We improve some things and we move on."
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