Iga Swiatek ‘thanks’ the terrible conditions at WTA Finals for helping her defeat Jessica Pegula and become the World No 1 again

Iga Swiatek beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets to lift her maiden WTA Finals title.

Iga Swiatek ‘thanks’ the terrible conditions at WTA Finals for helping her defeat Jessica Pegula and become the World No 1 again

Iga Swiatek (Image via CNN)

Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek thanked the terrible conditions in Cancun for the 2023 WTA Finals as she defeated Jessica Pegula to lift her maiden title at the season-ending championships. Swiatek, who had also an opportunity to take back the World No.1 crown from Aryna Sabalenka said the poor conditions in Mexico forced her to focus on things that mattered in the moment and not too far.

Swiatek said that while she was thinking about the World No.1 ranking heading into the match against Pegula, the thoughts vanished after she got onto the court. The Polish ace said that she was focused on her footwork and shots which kept her away from thinking about other stuff.

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I learned my lesson and this time I didn't want [the No.1 ranking] to have an impact on me. It did a little bit -- it's hard not to think about stuff like that -- but actually, when I went on court, I knew that I had to focus on different things. And actually, the conditions here that were kind of tricky, also helped me to just focus on my footwork, my shots, and that just kept me busy from thinking about all of that.
Iga Swiatek said after her title win in Cancun. (H/T: WTA)

Iga Swiatek’s realization about not having another 2022-like season helps her move forward

Iga Swiatek had a dream run in 2022 where she won almost every tournament she took part in. The Pole ace won two Grand Slam titles- the French Open and the US Open. She also clinched titles at a couple of WTA 500 tournaments and WTA 1000 tournaments. She finished the season as the year-end No.1.

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Iga Swiatek at China Open 2023 (Image via China Open X)

However, in 2023, Iga Swiatek did not have the same run. She failed to defend her title at Indian Well as well as at the US Open. Her 75-week run as the World No.1 also came to an end when she was thrown out of the top seat by Aryna Sabalenka. Nevertheless, Swiatek came back and came back harder. She made her debut at the Asian swing memorable, reaching the quarterfinals in Japan and winning the title in China.

Now, she put the cherry on the top by lifting the title in Cancun. After the win, she talked about how realizing and accepting the fact that she would not have a season like 2022 helped her perform better. 

2022 was so amazing that I don't know if it's gonna be possible for me to repeat a season like that. So I just didn't feel at the end like I'm in the shadow anymore because I knew that I'm having another great season. And honestly, I kind of accepted that I'm not going to have a season like that, like in 2022, and I just looked forward.
Iga Swiatek said.

Notably, with this win in Cancun, Swiatek reclaimed her throne and will finish the season as the year-end No.1 for a second consecutive year.

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