Fear of Injuring Her Back, Sabalenka Zeroes into the Swiatek Challenge in Rome

Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday, May 17, 2024

After her crushing victory over Elina Svitolina in the round of 16 in Rome, Aryna Sabalenka he was unsure if he would be able to continue playing in Rome due to a problem with his lower back. A few days later, the World No.2 is back in another grand final, and he's getting ready to compete Iga Swiatek for the crown.

Her ability to overcome major obstacles this spring is a testament to Sabalenka's mental and physical strength.

He says his back – at least for now – is no longer a problem.

“I was thinking about retiring,” Sabalenka said Thursday after her win over Danielle Collins pushed her record on clay in 2024 to 11-2, and 25-5 since the start of 2023. “Fortunately, I had the record for one more day. I was recovering a lot. I'm still working out, I'm doing a lot of therapy, I'm always taking care of my back. It's getting better. So I think we're on the right track.

“I don't know. I am doing everything myself to recover as soon as possible and be ready to go to Paris. Right now I feel great. I don't feel pain during the games.”

Aryna Sabalenka will face Iga Swiatek in the final in Rome

“Does this competition give you more motivation?”

Aryna: “Definitely. I really like our hard battles. It's always like a match. I really enjoy playing against him. It's always top notch. I hope we will deliver the best… pic.twitter.com/W1yB2rWYjG

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 16, 2024

Asked how she felt about facing Swiatek again after dropping three championship points and falling to the World No.1 in the final in Madrid on May 5, Sabalenka said she will be determined if she steps into the same position again.

“Definitely if I'm going to get to the point where I'm going to stay with a match point, I'm going to be aggressive,” he said. “I'll just go.” I will be confident and go for shots instead of trying to save the point, I just grab the ball. Instead of playing it safe, I'll just hold my own.”

Sabalenka has won three of the last 10 meetings with Swiatek, and one of the last four meetings on clay.

Swiatek is a two-time champion in Rome, and will go in as a heavy favorite, given that the slower conditions in Rome suit him better than the faster court in Madrid, which is played at a higher altitude (2130 feet above sea level). But Sabalenka hopes to prove she can compete with Swiatek on any clay.

“You are always looking for new things,” he told reporters. “You always try to improve a lot, especially after those kinds of games like in Madrid. You always try and find things to improve where you can improve so that next time you can finish the game.

“After Madrid we worked a lot on a few things. We will see. We'll see on Saturday whether it helps me or not and we'll go from there – I'm definitely confident that I can get that win.”