'Sabalenka would have beaten Iga Swiatek in the final': Karolina Pliskova's candid take on Wimbledon final

Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova believes that Aryna Sabalenka would have claimed the Wimbledon title if she had faced Iga Swiatek in the final. The Belarusian had fallen in a tight semifinal match against Amanda Anisimova, who was then swept aside by the Pole in the final.

Pliskova, 33, has been off the courts since the last US Open, at the end of August 2024. The Czech is recovering from an ankle injury that has prevented her from playing this season and is currently ranked No. 321 in the world, though she continues to hope for her return to competition.

Pliskova became one of the best players of her generation, reaching the top of the WTA rankings for a total of eight weeks between July and September 2017, in a year where as many as five different players held the World No. 1 spot. In addition to her 17 titles, she reached two Grand Slam finals, losing at the US Open 2016 to Angelique Kerber and then at Wimbledon 2021 to Ashleigh Barty.

In a recent appearance on the Czech podcast Rakety, Pliskova gave her opinion on the most recent Wimbledon final last Saturday, where Iga Swiatek achieved a historic 6-0, 6-0 victory over Anisimova, also securing her 6th Grand Slam title.

The American was far from the level she had shown throughout the tournament, where her huge win over current No. 1 Sabalenka had particularly stood out. In that match, Anisimova prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, securing her first major final and leaving Sabalenka empty-handed once again at a Grand Slam.

Pliskova ventured to say that if the Belarusian had beaten Anisimova in the semifinals, she would have defeated Swiatek in the final. "I think Sabalenka would have beaten Iga Swiatek in the final," she stated on the podcast, where her twin sister Kristyna Pliskova, former World No. 58, also commented.