"Boy, is Aryna Sabalenka a tough motherf*****" - Andrea Petkovic hails Belarusian's spirit after narrow defeat against Iga Swiatek in Madrid final 

Iga Swiatek prevailed over Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling Madrid Open final 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7). Many, including former pro Andrea Petkovic, had plenty of praise for both players, especially the runner-up, who went very close to securing a victory.

Hailing the Belarusian’s fighting spirit in her latest appearance for the Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Petkovic dubbed her an incredibly tough opponent to get past.

"And boy oh boy is Aryna Sabalenka a tough m***********," Petkovic said. "I was like, constantly just tipping my hat that I did not wear. I was like, 'I can't believe how tough this girl is.'"

Petkovic added that while Sabalenka’s power grabs the most attention, she also has a great amount of tenacity. The former top-10 player went on to heap praise on the improvements that Sabalenka has made to her game, saying she is a much better mover now than when she started out.

"The amount of fight and tenacity this girl has, I was, I mean apart from the tennis, we all know that Sabalenka can just overwhelm anybody," Petkovic said.

"And not only outpower, but also, you can see how much he has worked on her fitness, she's moving so well, she's a threat even from a defensive position."

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"Iga Swiatek was trying to out-heavy Aryna Sabalenka" - Andrea Petkovic on Pole's tactics in Madrid Open final

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Andrea Petkovic also had positive words to say about Iga Swiatek, who she thought played the perfect tactical match in the Madrid Open final.

The German said Swiatek was not afraid to get into crosscourt rallies against Aryna Sabalenka, who she believed had one of the best forehand shots in the game.

"Aryna Sabalenka has one of the best forehand crosscourt, but Iga Swiatek kept going into those cross-court rallies, trying to out-heavy her," Andrea Petkovic noted.

The aggressive approach, Petkovic said, paid off in the end as Swiatek was able to win the big points in the final set tiebreaker.

"In the tiebreak, she missed two forehands that I actually really liked because they were played with an intention. She missed them because she wanted to get a lot of rotation on them and get a lot of height above the ball, so they would jump out of Sabalenka's strike-zone," the German said.

"But then later when she made them at 5-all, she got the unforced error from Sabalenka, so from a game-plan, I was so impressed by Swiatek."