'I know we have some....' - Aryna Sabalenka opens up on her rivalries with Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina at Italian Open 2024

Tennis stars Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina have been dominating the WTA tour over the last few years. The trio has won six Grand Slam women's singles titles out of eight and has been ruling the tennis world. Notably, all three of them were present at the recently concluded Mutua Madrid Open 2024, where Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final game.

However, Aryna Sabalenka has recently opened up about their partnership and rivalries. The 26-year-old star accepted that they are big rivals on the field, as the three of them are playing with more consistency. Sabalenka said that anyone can defeat anyone in the game, and one should aim at focusing on things over others.

"I know we have some rivals, meaning like me, Iga and Elena. We're doing maybe more consistently, playing more consistently [than] past years. Maybe last year and this year so far. I would say that in tennis, anybody can beat anybody. If you would start thinking like, my level is there, they're somewhere there - how to say - you're not respecting them, you underestimate them, and you're kind of like losing it because you're not, how to say, focusing well enough for them,'' Aryna Sabalenka said during the Italian Open press conference.

I can beat them on clay, on hard, on grass: Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka was also asked the question about tennis surfaces, to which she came up with the perfect answer. The star player has learned where she is best and where her other rivals are best on the tennis court.

"Well, I mean, obviously Iga is much better on clay than me, for example. I would say Elena is better on grass. I'm maybe a little bit better on hard court. At the same time, I cannot say that it's all about the surface. I mean, as the time shows, I can beat them on clay, on hard, on grass," she added further.