"Before, we hardly ever spoke," Sabalenka discusses her relationship with Swiatek
After the Roland-Garros draw, tennis observers noted that Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek could meet in the semifinals of the Paris Grand Slam.
After ten days of competition, the clash between the two rivals is set to happen, as the world No. 1 overcame Zheng Qinwen (7-6, 6-3), while the three-time defending champion weathered the storm in the second set to dominate Elina Svitolina (6-1, 7-5) in the quarterfinals.
During the press conference, the Belarusian was asked about the nature of her relationship with the Polish player, whom she will face for the 13th time (Swiatek leads 8-4 in their head-to-head).
"The truth is, before, we hardly ever spoke, and we never practiced together either. I think we're improving in that regard.
We get along better now, we spend more time together in training, and we're getting to know each other. We've had many great battles, and I’m looking forward to facing Iga (Swiatek) again.
Matches against her are always at a very high level. I’ll do everything I can to win. I love challenges. I believe it’s in these kinds of matches that you can really see how you can improve and how you can become better.
It’s always a good thing to face someone as strong as her, someone who can challenge me. I’ll have to step onto the court and fight, but I’m ready to give it my all," she told *Punto De Break*.
French Open 
