Iga Swiatek on her and Aryna Sabalenka's consistency on WTA tour: "We're just hard workers"

Iga Swiatek has stated that hard work is the reason for her and Aryna Sabalenka's consistency on the WTA tour.

Sabalenka defeated Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on the clay in Madrid to clinch her third title of the year, her fifth WTA 1000 title, and 13th singles title. She also has a tour-leading 29 match wins this season.

Swiatek, on the other hand, has 13 career titles. At the age of 21, she has already established her claycourt prowess by winning the French Open (2020, 2022), Italian Open (2021, 2022), and Stuttgart Open (2022, 2023).

Sabalenka has a tour-leading three titles this year, following her triumphs in Madrid, Adelaide 1 and the Australian Open. Swiatek, meanwhile, has had two successful title defenses in 2023, in Doha and Stuttgart.

The 2023 Madrid final was the first time the top two ranked players in the world faced off in a WTA 1000 since Serena Williams and Li Na locked horns in the 2014 Miami final. It was also the second time Sabalenka and Swiatek have met in a title clash in quick succession after they clashed in the Stuttgart Open final two weeks ago.

At a press conference after the match, Swiatek was asked about her and Sabalenka's consistency, and the rare feat of the World No. 1 and No. 2 meeting in a final twice in such a short time. The Pole responded by stating that the two of them are hard workers and professional in their approach to the game, which was why they were 'solid'.

"Me and Aryna, I feel like we just, we're just hard workers. I know that she's super professional as well in terms of, you know, fitness and other stuff, and we're kind of progressing no matter if we're on top or not, so I think that's why we are kind of solid," she said.

Swiatek also stated that while it was tough to get to the top, it was tougher still to remain there without getting toppled.

"Of course it's tough. People are saying it's tough to get to top, but staying at the top is even tougher. I don't know. I haven't lived enough to know if that's like true or not, but getting to the top, I felt like it would be harder anyway, and staying at the top is hard, but I think I'm doing a good job anyway," she opined.

"I don't know. It's just a matter of kind of not thinking about it that you're gonna stay here, but it's more like reaching to other stuff that can motivate you and that you can do better no matter what position you're in," she added.

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Iga Swiatek: "I know what I can improve, and it doesn't really matter if I lose in two or three sets"

Aryna Sabalenka(L) defeated Iga Swaitek in the 2023 Madrid Open final.

Iga Swiatek has a 26-6 win-loss record in 2023. She has reached four finals this season, winning two (Qatar Open and Stuttgart Open) and losing two (Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Madrid Open).

When asked if she was satisfied with her fight in the finals, the World No. 1 said:

"I know why I lost these matches in two sets. You know, I know what I can improve, and it doesn't really matter for me if I lose two or three sets. For sure, if it's more tight you know that you had some maybe more chances or whatever, but I'm always fighting, and sometimes, you know, I can play worse some day and lose in two sets."

She added:

"My opponent can play perfect tennis. It's not like we have influence on everything. But I'm for sure taking care of the stuff that I have influence on. If I'm able to play better, I'm gonna do that on court. Yeah, every day is different, but for sure I'm happy with how I recovered after the first set today and I came back."