Merely two hours after Aryna Sabalenka`s significant victory in Madrid, reporters were already directing questions towards her future aspirations.
Following her third Madrid title win, a reporter inquired on Saturday, “Considering your current performance level, do you believe you can secure your first wins in Rome or Paris?”
Sabalenka, visibly tired, responded with a good-natured laugh.
She replied, “`In my thoughts, in my dreams, yes, I believe I can,` adding, `However, reality isn`t always the same. I will certainly go out, compete fiercely, and see if my dream can manifest in real life.`”
She came close the previous year, defeating high-ranked players Elina Svitolina, Jelena Ostapenko, and Danielle Collins on her path to the final. However, Iga Swiatek proved superior in that ultimate match, delivering a nearly flawless 6-2, 6-3 performance.
That result secured Swiatek rare back-to-back titles in Madrid and Rome – a feat we can appropriately term the Red-Dirt Double. Now, Sabalenka, who was the finalist in both those events last year, has a fresh opportunity to accomplish this herself.
She could become one of the select group of women who have achieved this remarkable double, alongside Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, and Iga Swiatek.
Here are the stories of those who have previously completed the Red-Dirt Double:
Dinara Safina 2009
Her first tournament as the world No. 1 that year was in Stuttgart, where she lost to her rival Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. However, this setback preceded a phenomenal 16-match winning streak, the most significant stretch of her career.
Safina, then 23, was a powerful player who surprisingly excelled on clay. She admitted, “To be honest, I loved that surface. I knew that some of my biggest opponents, like Serena [Williams], it was not their best surface. I felt like on clay I have more chances to beat them because it’s slower than grass or hard courts. That’s why it was giving me more confidence.”
Primarily training in Valencia, Spain, she finished her career with an impressive 101-38 record (.727) on clay, her most successful surface. Unlike the current schedule, the Italian Open was played before Madrid that year. Safina reached the semifinals in Rome, where she faced No. 4 seed Venus Williams.
Safina dropped the first set tiebreak but fought back to win 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4. She recalled it was her only win against Venus, noting, “That one was pretty nice, but the same year at Wimbledon I lost 6-1, 6-love.”
Safina secured a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Kuznetsova in the Rome final, making only 15 unforced errors, half of her opponent`s total. She collected $350,000 and commented, “I had in my head that I had lost three finals this year. I was like, ‘I don’t want to have this that I’m losing finals.’”
Transitioning to the faster courts in Madrid presented a new challenge. “The most difficult thing is the concentration through the whole period,” Safina explained. “After winning the tournament [Rome], you go to the next and you are very excited. And then it’s like, `OK, you have to come back down to earth — back to work. Back to … to suffer.’”
Safina dropped only one set en route to the Madrid final and had another straightforward match there, defeating Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4.
“Serena lost early, so it was pretty open the draw,” Safina noted. “And I had a pretty good draw to take my chances. I came in very confident, playing good at the time. I was very happy to win that one.” Her 16-match winning streak was eventually ended by Kuznetsova in the Roland Garros final.
Serena Williams 2013
The year prior, Williams had controversially won in Madrid on the temporary blue clay surface. By 2013, the traditional red clay courts were back. This period marked peak Serena, in the midst of arguably her greatest season, where she would win 12 titles and finish with a 78-5 record.
Her run in Madrid was typical of her dominance; she dropped only one set in six matches. She reached the final against No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova with the top ranking on the line.
Many believed this was Sharapova`s best chance to defeat Serena for the first time in eight years, as Sharapova hadn`t dropped a set in the tournament and was on a 25-match clay winning streak. Despite this, Williams handled Sharapova convincingly, winning the final 6-1, 6-4 in just 75 minutes. It was her 50th career singles title and her first on red clay since the 2002 French Open.
Afterward, Serena entered the press conference wearing a t-shirt that read “Bestest Ever,” smiling and remarking, “Every time I play, I really relish it more. I feel like, honestly, Serena, when are you going to get tired? I don’t know.”
Her dominance continued in Rome. Losing only 10 games through her first four matches, Williams defeated Simona Halep in the semifinals, setting up a final against No. 3-ranked Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka was a two-time reigning Australian Open champion and had been world No. 1 for much of the previous year, having won their most recent encounter.
The Rome final was a one-sided 6-1, 6-3 victory for Williams. This extended her winning streak to 24 consecutive matches overall and 16 straight on clay. During her trophy speech, she impressively spoke fairly fluent Italian.
She would go on to add seven more victories in Paris, defeating Sharapova again in the Roland Garros final 6-4, 6-4 to claim her second French Open title.
Iga Swiatek 2024
Reflecting on the 2024 Madrid final, Swiatek said, “It’s hard to relive it, because there are not many matches that are so intense and on such a high level. Sometimes the finals are actually a bit worse level than quarterfinals or semis, because the players are a little bit tight. But me and Aryna, we put on a great show, for sure. I just thought that because, you know, also for the fans I think it was great to watch it.”
“Great” might be an understatement. Swiatek’s 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7) victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid was widely considered the best match of the year. Not only did Swiatek avenge her loss in the 2023 Madrid final, but she did so after saving three match points.
The marathon match lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes, becoming the year’s longest final. Sabalenka described it before this year`s Madrid tournament: “That match was, yeah, it was a ball-buster. That was amazing match, even though I lost it. This is like nothing I can be upset with, to be honest. I did my best there, and she just outplayed me.”
The slower conditions in Rome were more suited to Swiatek’s game. This time, she was a dominant 6-2, 6-3 winner over Sabalenka in the Internazionali BNL d`Italia final. This marked Swiatek’s third Rome title and extended her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 8-3.
Furthermore, it was Swiatek’s eighth consecutive win in a championship final.
“I kind of knew that if I’m going to work hard and if I’m going to be in the right mindset, this is achievable,” Swiatek told reporters. “I’m happy I was so focused and disciplined throughout the tournament to do that.”
Rome joined Roland Garros and Doha as tournaments where Swiatek has claimed the title three times. Comparing the two finals, Swiatek noted, “For sure this match looked a little bit differently than in Madrid. I felt like I`m putting a lot of pressure. I just continued doing that throughout the whole match. Really proud of myself and really happy.”
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth