Iga Swiatek stated that she was ready to face a big challenge because she would try to return to her best performance.
The Polish tennis player confirmed his position as world number 1 after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final last week, but admitted that the rapidly changing conditions made matches, training and even resting more difficult.
“I don’t expect myself to be fresh,” Swiatek admitted. “To be honest, like when I arrived in Madrid, I felt more tired at the start of the tournament after Stuttgart than before the final. It really depends on how the match goes.
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“I know that if I want to last longer in a tournament, I might as well have a few days off where I don’t even train. We tried to plan it differently compared to previous seasons because we were worried. Tournaments like this last longer and it’s impossible to get a break beforehand, so sometimes you have to take a break then.”
Even as the world number 1 tennis player who has won four Grand Slam titles, the champion at Indian Wells for the 2024 season is still finding new challenges in the tournament, including playing well the following week after winning the prestigious title. That means celebrating big wins can be short-lived, but he also seems to enjoy taking on new challenges.
“We’re still trying to figure it out because we never really do it,” Swiatek said. “I always train between matches. I mean, my coach planned it. There’s no point for me to focus on that because I want to win the first games and we’ll see what happens after that. If I lose, then I will get a break for a hundred days.”
“It’s quite crazy to be in Madrid, packing up straight after the final, and coming here (Roma). I feel happy to be here because I love this place. I have practiced here. Really fun. To be sure, adapting is a challenge. But it was really fun to get into trouble like that.”
Iga Swiatek added, “I would say that I give myself time to play relaxed, not thinking about the game or the points because we really don’t get time to rest properly.”
“You also have to use those days and I treat them a little bit like gap days. I just tried to focus on getting used to the bounce. I’m trying to use that time to reset everything. But I didn’t force him.”
