I don’t regret losing the final to Sabalenka: Swiatek

Madrid (IANS) | World number one Inga Swiatek says she doesn’t regret the loss despite being knocked out by world number two Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final.
“We played a good level of tennis but Sabalenka was better today. I think we both played better and I don’t have any big regrets,” Swiatek said at the post-loss press conference.
Swiatek still has a 27–2 win-loss record on clay since the start of 2022, losing to Caroline Garcia in the Warsaw quarterfinals.
“Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy. That’s why we have variety in tennis, and that’s why sometimes players do better on some surfaces and some on different surfaces,” Swiatek said. Playing. But it doesn’t really matter because she won, and I just respect that and I don’t want to take it from Aryana.”
Despite going home without the title, Swiatek still posted his career-best result in his second appearance in Madrid. Her only losses at the event were Sabalenka and former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.
“I think (the final) was really tight, and it was a matter of a few centimeters, you know, and sometimes it’s in, sometimes it’s out,” he said. But I did my best to maintain the intensity and still maintain control here.”
“Maybe next year I’ll know better whether I can do more or not, but for sure I did my 100 percent, so I have no regrets,” Swiatek said.
No. 1 Swiatek and No. 2 Sabalenka contested their second straight final after Swiatek won the title in Stuttgart two weeks earlier, allowing their rivalry to see through the remainder of the clay-court season.
No. 1 Serena Williams defeated No. 2 Li Na to win the 2014 Miami Open, the first WTA 1000 final between the top two ranked players. It is only the third time in the past four decades that the top-two ranked players have met multiple times on clay in the same season. More final matches are possible between the two, with Rome starting next week and Roland Garros drawing closer.
Sweatek said, “Me and Aryana, I think we’re just hard workers. I know she’s also super professional in terms of fitness and other things, and we’re making progress whether we’re on top or not, so I think that’s why we are strong in a way.
The 21-year-old Swiatek will still hold on to the world No. 1 spot in Monday’s new rankings, although Sabalenka is closing the gap.
Swiatek said, “People are saying it’s hard to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay at the top. I don’t know, I’m not around enough to know if that’s true.”
“It’s not just about thinking that you’re going to be here, but it’s like having access to other things that can motivate you and make you do better, no matter what situation you’re in. It That was the change for me. How I felt at the start of the season with the pressure of being World No. 1 and how I feel now in that context.”