Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff compared in ‘intimidating’ verdict from WTA rival

Ons Jabeur has named both Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff as her most ‘intimidating’ rivals on the WTA Tour.

Former world No 2 Jabeur has been a regular opponent for current world No 2 Swiatek and world No 3 Gauff during their careers, with a combined 15 meetings against the two.

The Tunisian trails 2-5 in her head-to-head against Swiatek – including a loss in the 2022 US Open final – while she is 2-6 down in her head-to-head versus US star Gauff.

Jabeur was a guest on Nothing Major and, asked by Sam Querrey who her most ‘intimidating’ rival was, spoke about the challenge of facing both major champions.

She said: “There are a lot. I think Iga is a pretty solid player. She does not give you any free points, which is kind of difficult to play against.”

“Coco is really amazing too, she plays unbelievable tennis. There are a lot of solid players where you have to be, if not 100%, very close to it to play on that day.”

Jabeur also spoke about the challenge of facing Aryna Sabalenka, the current WTA world No 1.

The Tunisian trailblazer holds a 2-4 head-to-head against the Belarusian, a three-time Grand Slam champion and a recent runner-up at the Australian Open.

However, despite trailing in their rivalry, the 30-year-old triumphed in the biggest meeting of their career – rallying from a set and a break down to win their 2023 Wimbledon semi-final.

Despite that match, the three-time major finalist revealed that she “used to hate” facing the Belarusian and admitted that she found herself struggling with the pace of Sabalenka’s groundstrokes.

“I used to hate playing against Aryna, because the way she hits the ball, I basically could not see it, and I get frustrated by the speed of the ball,” added Jabeur.