“Every player wants to beat you,” Iga Swiatek opens up about the mental challenge and performance pressure that come with being World No. 1
The three-time Grand Slam champion opens up about her emotions on the court, the expectations from her being in the top among other things.
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Iga Swiatek considers being Number One does not come easy. According to the Polish star being in the pole position brings added pressure with fans and media consistently watching every move on the court and the game remaining under constant scrutiny. Another disadvantage according to her is the rest of the players wanting to beat the No. 1.
The 21-year-old Swiatek is starting in 2023 after an immensely successful last season where she added a couple of Grand Slam titles to her name. In the Australian Open scheduled to start next week, she is the biggest favorite despite going through some hiccups in the United Cup earlier this month. Before the start of the tournament, Swiatek opened up about her emotions on the court and expectations from her among other things.
“After I won Roland Garros again last year, I hoped I would be able to play without pressure. But in Toronto and Cincinnati, I realized how hard it is to be world number one when every player wants to beat you. They’re playing their best tennis against you,” the three-time singles champion said.
“I’ve always struggled with feeling like I have to do everything exactly right all the time,” she added. Swiatek is not ashamed of showing emotions on the court and she touched upon that too. “I cried on the court after I lost in straight sets, and I felt like people were judging me a little bit,” she said referring to her Tokyo Olympic defeat against Paula Badosa and the subsequent outburst of emotions.
Related: “Feel like I did something great,” Iga Swiatek is excited to become the best
Iga Swiatek primed to repeat the last year’s form in the Australian Open
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the biggest favorite in the Australian Open scheduled to start next week. She is coming out of a 37-match winning streak from last year. As the sun will be at its brightest during the tournament, Swiatek is ready to bask in another title glory.
Some of the prominent players to challenge her will be Tunisian Ons Jabeur and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. But the Pole of better equipped to deal with them on hard court surfaces. If the plans go swimmingly Swiatek to ready to add another title to her name in the season’s first Grand Slam.
In the opener, she will face German player Jule Niemeier where she will not face much trouble. The biggest challenges for her will come from the quarterfinals stage where she will meet ASB Classic winner Coco Gauff. Later in the semifinals, she is projected to face Paula Badosa before eventually setting a title clash against either Jabeur or Sabalenka.
If Swiatek succeeds in Melbourne, she will further consolidate her rule in Tour with others behind her at a long distance.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)