It’s time for the clash of titans in Rome! The world no.1, Iga Swiatek takes on the number 2, Aryna Sabalenka in the finals of the 2024 Italian Open. Who has the edge in this epic battle? American tennis legend, Andy Roddick recently shared his thoughts on the Grand Finale in Rome. Hope you’ve picked yours too! Iga Swiatek aims to become the third woman, and the first since Serena Williams in 2019, to win both the Madrid and Rome titles in one season. In the meantime, Aryna Sabalenka is seeking revenge against Swiatek on the red soil!

This will be the first time since 2000 that both the number one and number two players in the WTA rankings will face each other twice in two weeks. Currently, the ‘Queen of Clay’ has a lead of 7-3 against Sabalenka in the H2H. But is it enough to keep her ahead of Aryna Sabalenka in the finals? Well, Andy Roddick is someone who has always believed that “beating Iga Swiatek on clay is a big deal“. But this time, he thinks otherwise. “There’s no question about Iga’s form on clay right now. But I think Sabalenka is playing better in the lead-up now,” Roddick.

He further went on to add that although Iga Swiatek won in Madrid, Sabalenka showcased her best tennis that week in the finals. He added, “You never know how the match is going to go in a given day. But I think Sabalenka’s form, I think she’s a lot more confident going into this one than Madrid were. Frankly, she was trying to find something early in the event and she had found it by the end. And continued here in Rome.” He strongly believes that is going to be a ‘popcorn match’.

Despite being so dominant on clay, Roddick believes Iga Swiatek may find it slightly difficult to counter a more determined Aryna Sabalenka. A few days ago he heaped praise on both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka on ‘Served with Andy Roddick.’ But there is a part of him that firmly believes Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t get enough credit for what she does on the court.

Andy Roddick reveals why he feels Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t get enough credit for what she does on the courts

A few days ago, during the podcast, Roddick heaped praise on the top 2 tennis stars. He said Aryna Sabalenka is someone who has won 2 major titles, has been world no.1, and also has a bunch of WTA 1000s. “She’s a Hall of Famer already. She just is. My dumb a** is in, she’s in, simply,” Andy Roddick. For Iga Swiatek he added, that the Polish tennis star has 4 Grand Slam titles, 9 WTA 1000 titles already, and 20 titles in total. “You could chop her resume into a third and I think she would still have it,” he added.

Roddick said Swiatek is currently on her way to becoming “One of the best players of all time.” But on the other hand, he feels, “Sabalenka is now a great competitor, and she doesn’t get enough credit for it because she loses her s*t.” Both of them are yet again going to step onto the court for a rematch. Who do you think has the edge in this intriguing final?