Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will battle for the No. 1 ranking at the 2024 WTA Finals, but that does not seem to have strained their relationship off the court, judging by a social media video they made together.
Sabalenka is in a strong position to finish as the year-end No. 1. Three victories in the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals would be enough to secure that spot for the first time.
The Belarusian will start her campaign on Saturday against Qinwen Zheng, who Sabalenka defeated in this year's Australian Open and China Open finals.
Swiatek's opening match on Sunday against Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is set to be the Pole's first with new coach Wim Fissette and her first appearance since the US Open nearly two months ago.
Sabalenka moved more than 1000 points ahead of Swiatek in the latest WTA rankings due to a combination of the four-time French Open champion dropping the points earned for winning last year's WTA Finals and a controversial WTA rule about mandatory 500-level tournaments.
Swiatek and Sabalenka had the points from their lowest-earning tournaments removed because they had not played at least six WTA 500 tournaments. That rule hurt the 23-year-old more, leading to her being more than 1000 points behind Sabalenka before the WTA Finals.
The odds are against Swiatek, but she can take encouragement from how she overtook Sabalenka at the 2023 WTA Finals to claim the year-end No. 1 spot last year, although the Belarusian has a more significant lead ahead of the 2024 iteration of the event.
Throughout the sport's history, there have been many heated rivalries filled with animosity, and a battle to end the season at No. 1 might have tempers fraying among many of those players.
However, Sabalenka and Swiatek's relationship seems more than cordial based on a video that the current world No. 1 posted of the pair on her Instagram and TikTok pages ahead of the WTA Finals starting.
In a video that can be watched below, the camera is pointed upward at both players. They are in tennis gear after practicing for the WTA Finals and then start shaking, as if moving the scene to a location.
Swiatek puts her foot on the camera before picking it up in a different location. At the new place, Sabalenka and Swiatek are dressed in formal clothes, and both of them pose for the camera.
The response to the video was overwhelmingly positive. Fans enjoyed seeing the two best players in the women's game collaborating light-heartedly before one of the season's biggest tournaments.
Swiatek and Sabalenka have quite different personalities. The Pole has spoken openly about being introverted, while Sabalenka is more naturally expressive and outgoing.
However, this collaboration, albeit a brief one, shows they can enjoy each other's company despite being different people and having a rivalry at the top of the sport. Their ability to get along while being rivals on the court is a great example to young players.