“There’s a target on my back,” Iga Swiatek opens up on expectations on her ahead of title defense in Indian Wells
Iga Swiatek opens up about the expectations of her and preparations leading into the Indian Wells Open 2023
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Iga Swiatek
Ahead of Indian Wells this year, Iga Swiatek acknowledges that she is feeling more pressure than in previous editions, given the “target on her back.” In 2022, the Polish tennis player enjoyed a remarkable season, winning eight titles, including two Grand Slams, and achieving a 37-match winning streak. Following Ash Barty‘s retirement in April, Swiatek became the world No. 1 player.
While she won the Qatar Open last month, she was eliminated in the last 16 of the Australian Open and suffered a straight sets defeat to Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships, as she enters the Indian Wells tournament. According to the 21-year-old, there has been an increase in the expectation on her to perform at a high level every week.
Speaking ahead of her first-round match in Indian Wells she said, “After Doha and Dubai, I felt it [the expectation] pretty strongly. Because I won a WTA 500 and was in the final of a 1000 – it was like a small streak of matches that were pretty solid and I was really composed. But, still, I lost in the final and people were, I don’t know, surprised, not happy with the performance, just critical.”
She further added, “And it made me think that last year before this huge streak and before winning all these tournaments I would be so happy with this result. But with all these comments right now, I felt like, ‘oh, that’s not enough’. I feel like there’s a target on my back a little bit, which I didn’t feel last year.”
Iga Swiatek is all set for the Indian Wells Open
The world No.1, Iga Swiatek comes into the Indian Wells Open with a lot of confidence and form. Although she couldn’t make it to the end of the Australian Open, she had a record-breaking Qatar Open. She also had an excellent run until the finals of the Dubai Tennis Championship.
Speaking about her preparations, she said, “It’s a different situation, and I have to adjust to that. So I’m trying not to read a lot of these things. I don’t want it to influence me because I’m happy with all the work I’ve done.”
The Polish is considered to be the favorite to win the title in California. She is set to play Claire Liu tomorrow in her first round and looks to start the tournament on a good note. Fans will be excited to see her on the court again and wish to see her score bagels.
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Santhosh Tenneti
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