Iga Swiatek recently crashed Aryna Sabalenka’s Italian Open press conference. As the Belarusian was asked a ‘very difficult question’, Swiatek entered the media room to provide her with an assist.
Sabalenka and Swiatek are both scheduled to compete at the Italian Open this week. The two Grand Slam champions were last seen in action at the Madrid Open, where Sabalenka made it to the quarterfinals before going down against Hailey Baptiste, while the Pole made a round of 32 exit against Ann Li. Now, as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek gear up for the Italian Open, the World No.1 was recently asked why women’s singles matches often feature major twists and turns. Just as she was about to answer, Swiatek crashed the conference, prompting Sabalenka to turn to her rival for advice.
Thanks for the submission!
“Well that’s a very interesting question. Do you want to help me to answer this very difficult questions? Do you want to ask next one? Okay. Thanks. Yeah, I definitely need that,” the Belarusian said.
Watch a video of the moment below:
Aryna Sabalenka then went on to address the question, saying,
“I think the level, it’s pretty high. If you lose focus for one game, it’s gone, the set is gone. It’s not very easy to stay focused from the very beginning to the very end. That’s the only explanation that I have, is because the level is getting higher, which requires more focus and more of a consistency and a better level.”
In Madrid, the four-time Grand Slam champion herself suffered through a roller coaster match against Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals, clinching the first set 6-2, only to lose the next two sets 2-6, 6(6)-7.
Aryna Sabalenka to kick off her Italian Open campaign against Barbora Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek set to take on Cathy McNally
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek enter the Italian Open as the first and fourth seeds respectively. While the Belarusian will be in the hunt for her maiden title at the event, Swiatek will be hoping to clinch her fourth trophy in Rome and regain her form ahead of the 2026 French Open.
As the duo gear up for the WTA 1000 event, Sabalenka will kick off her campaign against former Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, while Swiatek will face off against Cathy McNally for her opening round match. The Belarusian holds a 6-1 lead in her head-to-head record against Krejcikova, while Swiatek has previously defeated McNally twice.
Edited by Riddhi Acharya
