Iga Swiatek admits the defeat in Tokyo was due to ‘rust’, discloses having adopted new training routine with pre-season work already decided

Swiatek acknowledged her difficulties and accepted that she needed to refine her game in certain areas.

Iga Swiatek admits the defeat in Tokyo was due to ‘rust’, discloses having adopted new training routine with pre-season work already decided

Iga Swiatek (Credit: WTA)

After a shocking first-round defeat in the Tokyo Open, former world number 1 Iga Swiatek has come forward and revealed the reason she had a dramatic loss. Talking to the WTA Insider, Swiatek cited ‘rust’ as the cause of her defeat.

Swiatek was playing her first-round match at the Tokyo Open against Russian player Veronika Kudermetova. The Russian won the first set easily by securing a lead and thrashing the Polish 6-2. Swiatek managed to equate the score, but ultimately, it was Kudermetova who emerged victorious, securing the match with a final set score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. (Read the entire article here.)

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Later, in a press conference, Swiatek acknowledged her difficulties and accepted that she needed to refine her game in certain areas. “I realized how much work I have to do in pre-season because there are a lot of things I want to improve. My coach also has a good plan.” (H/T: WTA Tennis)

The 2023 Roland Garros Champion was aiming for her second US Open title and was looking forward to cementing her position at the peak of the WTA rankings. But she was dethroned by Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round. Since then, she has received various criticisms and doubts regarding her tennis capabilities. 

Taking a break for 3 weeks, the Polish stated that she felt rusty because she had not been playing matches. She further added, “I was feeling a little bit rusty in Tokyo because after that reset, after three weeks without playing tournaments, you can feel like that a little bit. But, yeah, it doesn’t really matter for me. I’ll just do my best no matter what.“

Also read: WTA China Open 2023: Live Streaming, Broadcast and TV Schedule details

Iga Swiatek eyes a Career Grand Slam

Iga Swiatek highlighted her desire to join the rare club of players who have achieved a career Grand Slam in an interview ahead of her Tokyo event. This unusual achievement has only been attained by a few, and Swiatek hopes to be one of them in the future.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Credit: Imago)

When asked when she plans to complete her career Grand Slam, the 22-year-old Polish athlete reacted calmly, “I don’t think I can answer you specifically. Um, as soon as possible? I’m 22, so I still have a lot of time probably, more than like 10 years. So I’m doing my best to win every tournament I play at. But yeah, I’m not rushing it because I’ve already won 4 Slams.“

Swiatek admitted that, despite her age, she is aware of the future and intends to approach her career milestones with a balanced viewpoint. She confessed that she needs more time to adjust to her prospective challenge on the grass surface at Wimbledon, where she has yet to win a Grand Slam trophy.

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