Pro Aryna Sabalenka Crowd Fails to Disrupt Iga Swiatek as She Reveals ‘Locked In’ Mantra That Led to Madrid Glory

Aryna Sabalenka couldn’t win her third title in Madrid, but so what? She has been successfully winning the hearts of the Madrid crowd over the years with her incredible performances in the Madrid Open. Even in this year’s tournament, the crowd showcased an unwavering love and support for the Belarusian tennis superstar. However, this wasn’t the same for all the players this year. Several players have encountered unpleasant experiences during their matches over the course of the tournament. But how difficult it is to tackle a crowd like that. And yet clinch a title by defeating a player like Sabalenka in the final?

Iga Swiatek recently appeared on the WTA Insider podcast with the host, Courtney Nguyen. She spoke about her “crazy” experience from that epic final. And how she managed to win the title by defeating the defending champion. “I was locked in, I think I was in third set when actually, it got cut down to like, a really exciting and emotional match. I was the most locked in so. So I was little, but you know, I was feeling that. But I wasn’t really focused on that. Like, you have these thoughts, but you’re not really, you know, getting a hold on them. So yeah, in the tiebreaker, I think the stadium was, you know, went crazy,” said Iga Swiatek.

She further went on to add, “But I was like, I have work to do anyway, I gotta focus on this one point and, and that’s all. And as I said, Yeah, I didn’t want to make like, I had no knowledge of how I want my tennis to look like. In the tiebreak wanted to use that and not make like some stupid decision or, or something.” Although she managed to save three match points to beat Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek said that this one was really a “crazy final.”

While Iga is currently on cloud nine with the 20th title of her career and ninth at the WTA 1000 level, Aryna is all grateful for the crowd that has been genuinely supportive of her.

“If not for the people…“ – Aryna Sabalenka thanks the Madrid crowd for their enormous support 

Aryna Sabalenka faced Danielle Collins the R16 of the 2024 Madrid Open. She defeated Collins by a 4-6,6-4,6-3 margin in that match. But there was one instance from that match in which the American was spotted losing her cool on a spectator. It happened after a rally against the Belarusian. She was on the verge of breaking Sabalenka in the seventh game of the second set after having won the first. Then suddenly, when Collins was going to take a shot, she got distracted by a spectator’s cry during the rally and as a result she ended up netting the cross-court forehand.

Danielle Collins looked absolutely bemused by the incident and she screamed at the spectator saying, “What was that?“. Then after the SF, Aryna Sabalenka openly spoke about the advantage she got when one fan shouted at her during Elena Rybakina match, inspiring her to victory. She said, “Today, honestly, if not for the people, I probably would’ve left this court losing 6-1 6-1 and be very sad.” The world no.2 went on to add, “Because I felt all the support. And I heard someone screaming, ‘We want to see you on Saturday’. It really motivated me in that moment.“