Iga Swiatek makes honest admission about consistency before Madrid final vs Aryna Sabalenka: "Would be lying if I said I didn't have random thoughts"

Iga Swiatek recently made an honest admission about her consistency leading up to her Madrid Open final against Aryna Sabalenka.

Swiatek defeated 18th seed Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 in just one hour and 10 minutes to secure her spot in her second consecutive Madrid Open final. Last year, the World No.1 finished as the runner-up at the WTA 1000 Madrid tournament after losing to Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 3-6 in the championship match.

This year, there will be a rematch in the final, as Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in the semifinal.

Speaking at a press conference before her final match against Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek talked about her consistency. She stated that while people only see the match results, there is a significant amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to achieve the success she has experienced so far.

Reflecting on her campaign at the 2024 Madrid Open, the World No.1 admitted that it wasn't easy for her at the beginning of the tournament due to limited time she had to adapt to the conditions. However, she expressed that she was satisfied with her performance leading up to the final.

“In most of these matches you can see the result, but there is a lot beyond that to work on. I wouldn't say it was easy because at the beginning I didn't have much time to adapt to the conditions and that's what I had to do during the tournament. But overall my matches have been pretty good, playing efficiently. So I am happy to be able to play like this and to be fresh even before the final ,” Swiatek said as quoted by Punto de Break (translated from Spanish).

Swiatek also revealed that she has random thoughts and doubts when her performance falters, but what is important to her is how she overcomes the challenges in front of her.

“I would be lying if I said I didn't have random thoughts. I have them, but the question is what are you going to do with them. I wouldn't say my approach is constant always because some days are better and some days are worse, but even if with a little bit worse, I know I can still play good tennis and win,” she added.

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Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka's head-to head record ahead of their Madrid Open final clash

Iga Swiatek (R) and Aryna Sabalenka (L)

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have faced each other nine times on the WTA Tour, with the World No.1 emerging victorious in six of those match-ups. As a result, Swiatek currently holds a 6-3 lead in their head-to-head record.

Their first encounter took place at the 2021 WTA Finals, where Sabalenka secured a hard-fought victory with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. However, Swiatek went on to win the next four meetings between them at the 2022 Qatar Open, the 2022 Stuttgart Open, the 2022 Italian Open, and the 2022 US Open.

They next met at the semifinals of the 2022 WTA Finals, where Aryna Sabalenka managed to defeat Iga Swiatek in a thrilling match that ended 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

Last year, Sabalenka and Swiatek met three times, first at the final of the Stuttgart Open, which Swiatek won, and then at the final of Madrid Open, which Sabalenka won.

Their most recent clash on the WTA Tour took place in the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals, where the World No.1 once again triumphed over Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Iga Swiatek then went on to defeat Jessica Pegula in the final with a dominant performance of 6-1, 6-0 to clinch the title.