“Paris on the horizon” Iga Swiatek talks of her mental approach ahead of the French Open
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Iga Swiatek
It is safe to say that the world no. 1 Iga Swiatek is currently ruling the Women’s tour. With four consecutive titles including three WTA-1000 events, that too on hardcourts, Iga made a winning start to her Clay season as well capturing the title and a brand new Porsche at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2022 in Stuttgart last week.
Iga is now on a 23-match unbeaten streak and has lost a set only 5-times during the run while serving 10 bagels as well. Having been the World No. 1 for just four weeks now, Iga has started stamping her authority and looks like a title contender at every tournament irrespective of the draw she has been made to play.
As she prepares for her first WTA-1000 claycourt tournament of the season, the 2022 Madrid Open, Iga had a brief chat with Eurosport about her plans for the Golden Swing. Iga is one of the few to have a psychologist travelling with her on the Tour to manage the pressure and build on her mental side of the game and the 20-year old talked about how she uses it to her advantage.
“Every time the clay season starts you can still see Paris on the horizon, but I try to approach each game with a clean sheet and focus only on the next step because it gives me a lot. I saw this season that it’s just easier for me to live this way. Certainly, when it comes to tennis and physical preparations the coaches are preparing the top form for Paris, but I have the same mental approach to each game and it gives me the greatest freedom,” said Iga speaking with Eurosport.
Iga Swiatek names her ‘most solid performance’
Having played 31 consecutive matches on hardcourts, Iga had her reservations about making the switch to Clay for the WTA-500 event in Stuttgart whether she would be comfortable on the surface and be able to cope with the challenge of it. She nevertheless went on to win the title and later revealed what ticked for her.
“I approach the final just like any other match. I try to use the experienced I gained this season in which I played a lot of finals. Some of them were more stressful, like today. For others, I decided that I would play better if I approach this match as I would any other match. Every hour spent on the court gave me a lot, so with time, I felt more comfortable on this surface. The final match, analysed in terms of pure tennis, was my most solid performance,” added Iga.
Iga awaits a qualifier in the first round of the Madrid Open where she will look to extend her record of winning the first four WTA-1000 events having already made history by winning the first three.
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Sarthak Shitole
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