Iga Swiatek tells why it has become ‘difficult’ for her to ‘live in peace and quiet’
Polish tennis superstar Iga Swiatek says it has become “difficult” for her to “live in peace and quiet” as people recognize her wherever she goes. Swiatek, 22, has achieved the most in women’s tennis since Ashleigh Barty’s shocking retirement in 2022 March.
Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is now the face of women’s tennis and there is a lot more attention on her than it was the case a few years ago. ‟People recognize me almost everywhere. It’s difficult for me to live in peace and quiet,” Swiatek told tennismagazin.de.
Also, Swiatek said that her team is there to remind her of ‟everything I have achieved, and that I can feel proud.”
Swiatek felt ‘ridiculous’ expectations were placed on her
At this past US Open, Swiatek failed to defend her title and also lost the world No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka.
For the first time since 2022 April, there is someone ranked at No 1 other than Swiatek. After not winning the US Open and also losing the world No 1 ranking, Swiatek had something she wanted to say out loud. “Last 1,5 year was a time of observing and experiencing how much people talk and write about ‘defending’, ‘defense’ – of titles, ranking position, points…
I was surprised sometimes to start to think this way because of this. But… I don’t need to defend anything and this is a good moment to write down some thoughts. For me sport is a cycle of constant changes exactly like in everyday life, we can either win or lose – that’s it, it’s so simple.
New season, next tournament, new opportunities to GAIN, ACHIEVE, not defend something. Clean slate,” Swiatek said in a message posted two days after her US Open exit. Going forward, Swiatek is confident that there will be lots of opportunities for her to achieve more success.
“But I stick to my mindset: when I work hard, I’m developing myself and doing my job, I will create many more chances to WIN, to ACHIEVE my goals and not to defend. The way to do it is to constantly focus on my high standards in what I do and learn from the best in this sport and from my team,” Swiatek said.
