Iga Swiatek was the true ruler of the WTA Women’s Tour in 2022. A year that gave her two Slams, the Roland Garros and the Us Open, and the first place in the WTA Ranking. 2023 will be the year of her confirmation for the Polish number one.
Insiders, her fans, her peers, they all legitimately expect her to start as favorites in every tournament she’s entered. His season will begin with the United Cup, a new event for nations that will unite men and women and will take place in three different Australian cities (Brisbane, Perth and Sydney) replacing the ATP Cup.
At the Australian tournament’s Media Day, the 21-year-old tackled various topics, from the first game of the season, which kicks off on December 29, to the Barty model. Finally, a joke about the pressures that the first position of the WTA ranking dictates.
Iga Swiatek prepares a 2023 as ruler
She explained: «It’s the first tournament of the year so it’s always going to be tough, but it’s nice that we can have the chance to share this experience with our teammates and have them on the bench to support us, it’s something different.
It breaks the routine a bit, because we are used to playing alone and this type of tournament makes the circuit very special. I hope we all enjoy the event, it will be fun. I’m very proud of myself. I feel enormous satisfaction because I have worked all my life to get to this point.
When Ash Barty retired I had mixed emotions because he still had the best tennis. I can’t wait to see her this week and tell her openly that he has really inspired me to work harder and his different playing style has made me realize there is room for improvement.
At first I wasn’t sure if this was my place. Ash was a great role model in the draw, not only in his behavior on the court, but off it as well. He has set the bar very high, so I have to show people and myself that I am in the right place.
At the beginning of this year I will try to forget everything that happened last year and focus on the future. I can gain a lot of confidence thinking about how I played these tournaments last season, but I don’t want to hold on too much because I want to keep going and focus on my next goals, trying to improve as a tennis player.»
