“I don’t think I’m going to care about that” – Iga Swiatek trades the ‘favorite at French Open tag’ for more hardwork

Iga Swiatek told the media that she doesn’t care about being a favorite at a tournament and focuses more on being good at her game. The world no. 1 who is extremely popular for her game is touted to be a favorite at the French Open. When asked about how she felt about being a favorite, she said “I don’t think I’m going to care about that. I don’t want to think about how people (tennis fans) view this sort of stuff.“

Iga Swiatek is having a great clay season, that started off with winning the Stuttgart Open and runner-up at the Madrid Open. She is currently in Rome for the Italian Open. In an interview, she negated that she gets influenced by chatter on social media about being the favorite at French Open this year. The Pole said “It’s pretty easy for me to cut off all the social media or media and try to focus on my job of playing tennis”

Iga Swiatek talked about how playing the game is the most important thing for her and that is what she is going to do rest of the clay season. She said that “I’ve enjoyed playing on clay so hopefully I can focus on that.” She will be playing her first match (round of 64) of the Italian Open against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on 6th May 2023.

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Iga Swiatek on brewing rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek said that she enjoys having a rival in the form of Aryna Sabalenka as a constant motivation. It helps her hone her game and play better. The Pole said, “Having someone playing so well like Aryna is motivating. It keeps me constantly ready and on my toes“. Iga said that playing Aryna reminded her of playing against Ashleigh Barty. Iga said, “It really struck me two years ago when I played against Ashleigh Barty, I had a pretty similar feeling playing against her“.

Swiatek is as meticulous as they come. And she said that she keeps Sabalenka’s game in mind while practicing. She said, “So, in practice, I imagine how she is playing the slice and I try to pick it up and give it back“. Though Sabalenka is proving to be a tough competitor for Iga Swiatek, she is actually very glad to have her around. “But I am glad that have good players and we can motivate each other“, said the 21-year-old world no. 1.

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