Aryna Sabalenka feels her rivalry with Iga Swiatek could be good for women's tennis

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka faced off for the eighth time on the WTA Tour on Saturday, treating fans at the 2023 Madrid Open to one of the most exciting WTA matches of the year.

Facing off in the final, it was Sabalenka who came out on top this time around -- a nail-biting 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win which saw her close down the gap with the Pole in the head-to-head 3-5. The victory also marked the Belarusian's revenge for her loss to Swiatek at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart last month, where there was yet another final showdown between the duo.

Speaking at her press conference afterwards, the World No. 2 declared that such a strong rivalry between her and Swiatek was integral for women's tennis, as it meant the presence of a very consistent World No. 1 and World No. 2.

Aryna Sabalenka believed witnessing such battles would also be enjoyable and exciting for fans, and that it would draw them towards the sport.

"I think that's something amazing. I think women's tennis needs this kind of consistency to see world No. 1 and world No. 2 facing in the finals. It's more enjoyable for fans to watch and it's more intense. I'm not saying that it's not intense with the rest of the players anyway," Aryna Sabalenka said.

"If a player reach the final, it means that he's in a good shape and it's going to be tough. But I think when people see these kind of finals, it makes them want to see it, you know, like want to see this battle. That's something amazing, and hopefully we can keep doing what we are doing this season," she added.

The 25-year-old was almost broken when serving for the championship, which she touched on during the press conference as well. Having undergone the same feelings at the Australian Open earlier this year, where she saved break points in the final service game against Elena Rybakina in the championship bout, the Belarusian admitted that the experience gave her the requisite confidence: if she did it once, she could do it again.

"I was thinking when I was down with the break in the last game, I was thinking, okay, I did it at the Australian Open, so probably I will be able to get this win this time again. It's actually help me to stay focused and to have this belief in myself. Yeah, definitely this match reminds a lot of Australian Open match," Sabalenka said.

"I definitely respect her a lot, she's a great player" - Aryna Sabalenka on Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka at the Mutua Madrid Open

Aryna Sabalenka lavished further praise on Iga Swiatek, declaring that she was a "great" player for whom she had a lot of respect. The 25-year-old also credited the three-time Grand Slam champion for consistently pushing her to be better, adding that she was really happy to be able to go toe-to-toe against her on a routine basis.

"I definitely respect [Iga Swiatek] a lot. She's a great player, and what she did last season and what she's keep doing, it's really motivate me a lot to improve, to keep working hard, to, yeah, to keep fighting. Yeah, I know that it's always battles against her. It's always really great matches," Aryna Sabalenka said.

"I would say that like this year matches is completely different matches than it was last year. I improved a lot, and I really want to win against [Iga Swiatek], because she's such a great player. To have this win, especially on clay, that's something unbelievable. I really happy that I'm able to fight against her and I'm able to get these wins so it's not like so super boring for people to watch our matches," she added.