Iga Swiatek Slams Polish Media for ‘Depression’ and ‘Burnout’ Claims Ahead of Canadian Open Campaign

World No.3 Iga Swiatek is bidding to win her second title of the season at the Canadian Open.

Iga Swiatek Slams Polish Media for ‘Depression’ and ‘Burnout’ Claims Ahead of Canadian Open Campaign

Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Cycling on TNT Sports)

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Iga Swiatek has once again made it clear that she is not at all “depressed“. Swiatek is in Montreal to start her campaign in the North American hard-court swing at the Canadian Open.

She will play the winner of the first-round match between Yulia Putintseva and Guo Hanyu. The Pole holds a 4-1 head-to-head record against the Kazakh ace but hasn’t yet faced the Chinese ace in her career.

In her pre-tournament press conference, Swiatek once again criticized Polish media for spreading fake news. She has often slammed the hectic 11-month WTA calendar as players don’t get enough time between tournaments to rest and recover as well as prepare for the next event. But she is not at all burned out.

But I would say for the past months, the biggest misconception in some media back home was that I am depressed or sad. That was not true, and people just came to some conclusions out of nowhere or out of 15 minutes that I was frustrated or sad on the court. Or I heard a lot that I am burned out, which also wasn’t and isn’t true.

Last year on the North American swing, Swiatek had skipped the Canadian Open and only played the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal in Cincinnati. But at Flushing Meadows, her run was ended by eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals.

Iga Swiatek says winning the Wimbledon title hasn’t changed her

Winning the Wimbledon title was not Iga Swiatek‘s goal this year. Before this season, the six-time Grand Slam champion had never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at SW19, reaching the stage just once- in 2023.

Iga Swiatek (2)
Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography)

It was her first title since her victory at Roland Garros last year. The tennis world rather expected to see Swiatek end her title drought on the clay swing, but in the four clay-court events, she failed to progress to the final, including at Roland Garros, where she ended her run after a three-set defeat to World No.1 and eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Last year, Swiatek had captured three back-to-back trophies on the European clay swing- Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.

I wouldn’t say it’s changed me because I already won a lot, and I feel like maybe winning the first Grand Slam changed me, but then I kind of knew the drill. But winning Wimbledon is something special. I think it was much different because I hadn’t expected it. I didn’t feel like relief as I sometimes did at Roland Garros because everybody was expecting me to win.

Iga Swiatek said at the press conference

Her inconsistent performance affected her rankings badly as the former World No.1 even dropped to eighth position. But the Wimbledon title changed everything, and she has once again occupied a place in the top 3.

Last year, the 24-year-old had played five finals, winning all. Following the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters, Swiatek will shift her focus onto the US Open, where she emerged victorious in 2022 by beating Ons Jabeur. But since that win, she has not yet progressed beyond the quarterfinals.

Swiatek has never lifted the Canadian Open, where this year, she will be chasing her career’s 24th singles title. At the Cincinnati Masters, too, she has not yet played the final.

Swiatek has 6,813 points and will remove Coco Gauff from the second spot if she ends the Cincinnati Open in her favor. Gauff has 7,669 points. Sabalenka, who has played seven finals and won three titles this season, sits comfortably at the top with 12,420 points.

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