"Got to work on my grass game anyway" - Iga Swiatek entertains idea of Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer-like 'Battle of Surfaces' against Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek recently spoke in favor of the idea of having a Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer-like "Battle of Surfaces" match against Aryna Sabalenka. The Pole believes it would be great for the women's game to host such an event.

In the 2000s, Nadal dominated proceedings on clay courts while Federer was virtually unbeatable on grass. In 2007, the pair played an exhibition match on a uniquely designed court which was half grass and half clay.

The surface took 19 days to prepare and it cost $1.63 million. The tennis legends battled it out and the match went the Spaniard's way 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10).

Following Swiatek's win over Madison Keys in the 2024 Italian Open quarterfinal, she was interviewed by Prakash Amritraj of the Tennis Channel. The World No. 1 was asked about her views on a "Battle of Surfaces" match against Sabalenka.

"You know, it’s about movement. But on the other hand, it’s, it’s about, you know, how the ball is going to bounce. So, yeah, it would be really great, you know, for this kind of event to happen, in the women’s game," Iga Swiatek said during the interview.

"I think it would be interesting, but I got to work on my grass games anyway. Yeah, but I’m happy, you know, that we’re here, and, I feel pretty comfortable on clay so I’m using that for sure."

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Aryna Sabalenka was skeptical of her chances in a "Battle of Surfaces" match against Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open.

Before Iga Swiatek was asked about her views on a "Battle of Surfaces" exhibition match against Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian faced the intriguing question.

Sabalenka has previously claimed that Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and herself have a slight advantage over each other on different surfaces. However, when it comes to the exhibition match, she does not fancy her chances.

“I would definitely lose six love, six love. I would get distracted by the colors and the difference. And I was thinking too much and I would be the one like living, living, living the corpus bagels,” she said in an interview with the Tennis Channel.

Swiatek and Sabalenka are currently fighting it out for glory in Italy. Prior to this, the pair played out a marathon final at the 2024 Madrid Open, which was won by the Pole.

Swiatek has reached the semifinal at the 2024 Italian Open and will take on Coco Gauff on Friday, May 17. On the other hand, Sabalenka will face Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals on May 15.