Aryna Sabalenka has named Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff as her "toughest opponents," and explains that's because she is only sure she has won the point when it is actually over.
Sabalenka is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive and dominant players in the game. In most cases, players struggle to cope with the Belarusian's power and strength. But Swiatek and Gauff - who are not nearly as powerful as Sabalenka or play so aggressively - know how to play against the world No. 1 as the Pole leads their head-to-head 8-5, while the American has six wins and five losses.
While Sabalenka is considered one of the most aggressive players, Swiatek and Gauff are widely regarded as one of the best movers on the Tour. And that's exactly what makes them tricky rivals.
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Sabalenka: Swiatek, Gauff are my toughest opponents... You think the point is over, but it is not
Coco and Iga are my toughest opponents physically. These two, physically, bring the biggest challenge. They move really great. So, sometimes, you build a point and probably with others, this shot would be a point but with them, sometimes you have to rebuild the point and physically its not easy. Mentally, its not easy to like you know to stay strong and be ready that the ball is going to come back every time. You have to be like really physically strong to handle that intensity," the world No. 1 explained.
En route to defending her US Open title, Sabalenka didn't meet either Swiatek or Gauff - the Pole suffered a surprise quarterfinal loss to Amanda Anisimova while the American got bounced by Naomi Osaka in the round-of-16. But the Belarusian did meet both of her biggest rivals at the French Open when she beat the Polish player in the semifinal but lost to the American in the final.
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In 10 days, the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing is starting. That's where Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff are slated to return to action and could meet again, but only from the semifinal stage onward since they will be the three top-seeded players at the tournament.
