Before meeting Sabalenka, Swiatek doesn't want to think about Madrid: "It's a totally different tournament".
This Saturday, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka will meet in the final of the WTA 1000 in Rome (not before 5pm). This match between the world's number one and two players is eagerly awaited, as it will be a rematch of their final in Madrid two weeks ago. As a reminder, at the end of an absolutely magnificent final in which both players came close to clinching the title, it was finally Iga Swiatek who snatched the crown (7-4, 4-6, 7-6).
As she prepares to meet up again with her favourite rival, the Pole was keen to calm things down in her press conference. Although most experts draw comparisons between this Saturday's match and the duel played in Spain, the world number 1 explains that it will surely be a very different match: "Honestly, I don't think it makes sense to consider these two finals as one and the same story. It's a totally different tournament. It's also a different week, it's not like it was the same as a fortnight ago.
I'm going to try to stay in the present and not think about what happened in Madrid. Obviously, I need to analyze this match tactically. It was very close, even if we both could have done even better. I'm sure we could have. It will be a totally different story, so I prefer to concentrate on the present."