"A champion like Iga Swiatek needs a worthy rival, someone has to raise the bar" - Aryna Sabalenka's teenage coach on importance of duo's rivalry

Maciej Domka, the teenage coach of Australian Open Champion Aryna Sabalenka, has showered praises on her stating that she would be a tough rival to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Domka, a former Polish tennis player who trained Sabalenka when she was about 18 years old, said that she was diligent, incredibly determined to work and trained with high intensity during her teenage days.

In fact, the two-time Australian Open Champion trained the hardest among the players at the Belarusian Tennis Federation where the Pole coached. Domka said that champions need motivation to develop themselves and tough competition is one of the ways that enables a player to realise the maximum potential.

Both Swiatek and Sabalenka would benefit a great deal from their rivalry, Domka claimed. According to him, this would help them achieve greater heights propelling their career and rankings.

"This competition is developing to the satisfaction of all fans and the entire tour. A champion like Iga needs a worthy rival, someone has to raise the bar. The competition between them has a positive impact on the development of each tennis player individually," Domka told Sport.Pl.

Swiatek and Sabalenka have had an interesting rivalry since 2021. They have competed against each other nine times with Swiatek enjoying a 6-3 head-to-head advantage.

At their most recent meeting, the Pole beat Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals in straight sets. While Swiatek has won four Grand Slams (three French Open titles and a US Open title), Sabalenka has lifted two consecutive Australian Open trophies.

Sabalenka, who is now hot on the heels of Swiatek for the World No. 1 spot following her Australian Open triumph, briefly replaced the Pole at the top of the rankings when she made it to the final of the US Open last year.

Domka said when asked whether Sabalenka and Swiatek's rivalry is akin to the one involving the 'Big-3' in men's tennis:

"Yes, champions need incentives to develop. In this case, Aryna and Iga benefit from the fight we see between them on the court and in the rankings."

"Aryna Sabalenka's junior stage was average, not to say weak" - Maciej Domka

Aryna Sabalenka with the Australian Open trophy after winning the title for the second time in 2024

According to Maciej Domka, Aryna Sabalenka is now a completely different player compared to her earlier days. He claimed that despite her hard work, she did not have much to show in terms of success.

"Aryna's junior stage was average, not to say weak. She also played in smaller tournaments, but initially without much success," Domka said.

The Polish coach claimed that during the junior period, Sabalenka's friend Wiera Łapko was much better:

"During the junior period, her friend Wiera Łapko was much better than Sabalenka (she has already finished her career, the highest she was 60th in the WTA ranking in 2018 - ed.). She was one of the TOP 5 juniors in the world and won the Australian Open in this category. Aryna's junior stage was average, not to say weak. She also played in smaller tournaments , but initially without much success."

But Aryna Sabalenka's poor run started changing after a year of hard work at the Belarusian Tennis Federation. She also started winning lower-category ITF-25 events and began her ascent as a senior player.

"It can be said that after a year of work at the academy, she 'fired up', started winning lower category ITF 25 events, and was already moving forward as a senior. And so her career took off," Domka said.