Iga Swiatek lands at the WTA Doha 2024 as world number one and defending champion, although it is something she doesn’t want to think about. The Pole speaks at a press conference about her expectations in this tournament and how she has changed since that first Roland Garros.
How do you feel after Australia’s defeat? Are you thinking about defending the title?
“Honestly, it is not always the same. We are humans and we feel different things. I always feel like the season is long and you have a lot of opportunities in the later tournaments. So I’m going to work hard and do the best I can, we’ll see what comes next,” explains the world number one at the WTA Doha 2024 press conference. “Last year I learned that there is no point in defending anything, so which is a completely different chapter and a totally different story. I’m going to go step by step through what happened one and two years ago, we are all at different points in our lives. Our tennis is also different, I don’t think about it. I learned that you can’t expect much in tennis because it always surprises you.”
How has it changed in all these years?
“I’ve grown, that’s for sure. I would have changed even without those victories, because I was 19 and now I’m almost 23. I see tennis from a different perspective. I’ve been at the top of the leaderboard for a long time and I know a little more. My tennis also changed, although many things remain the same. My work team remains the same for the most part, I have people to lean on. “I am happy with how the previous years have gone.”
Do you feel responsibility being number one in the world?
“I feel like people have expectations of us because people expect us to take a stand or share what we think and our opinions. I always try to remember that, if I don’t feel comfortable doing it, most people respect it, including journalists. There’s some responsibility for sure, even if I’m training or working. I feel that because I am at the top of the ranking I must have some rules. Sometimes it’s a little more difficult to take it easy, because you feel like everyone is out to get you.
But I also try to live with all of this. There are some things that have changed about the position you are in, although I always remind myself that I am still the same person, no matter what my ranking is or the number next to my name. Sometimes you feel like society forces you to do things differently than you would, but it’s good to remember who you are, no matter what your ranking is.”
2024-02-11 20:00:14
#tennis #perspective
