Iga Swiatek won the longest WTA final of 2024 in a three-set classic over Aryna Sabalenka and might have fired a cheeky response to the tournament in her post-match interview.
Swiatek and Sabalenka pushed each other to the limit in three hours of high-octane tennis. In the end, the pendulum swung in Swiatek's direction after saving three championship points late in the third set to prevail 7-5, 4-6, 7-6.
It was her first triumph in Madrid and her 20th career title overall. She avenged last year's final defeat to the Belarusian and proved that her Stuttgart defeat to Elena Ryakina a few weeks ago was just a false dawn of vulnerability. She is not going anywhere.
But it was Swiatek's reaction after the match that flipped the script to silence naysayers of women's tennis, saying, "Who’s gonna say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?"
This was certainly Swiatek's way of portraying women's tennis as a watchable product irrespective of the detractors' claims and showing that the WTA players equally deserve to receive the same pay as their ATP counterparts for pulling off matches of the highest order.
Swiatek did not comment about last year's debacle in which the contestants in the women's doubles finals were not permitted to give a post-match speech during the trophy ceremony, or reports that WTA doubles players were not allowed to train on-site during prime hours this year.
However, her response during the on-court interview following her epic win also validated her stance that WTA players should be treated with respect and professionalism.
The 22-year-old called it the "most intense" and "crazy" final that she's been a part of. And she was right. This was her first career final that went into a deciding third-set tie-break, and to save multiple match points against one of the most powerful players on tour was quite an achievement.
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