Swiatek leaves 'baggage' behind as she returns to New York

24.08.2024 - 01:37 channelnewsasia.com

Iga Swiatek saw her hopes of a U.S. Open title defense dashed last year when she fell in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows but now says she feels free of the pressure that helped fuel that letdown.

Swiatek, the tournament's 2022 champion, was upset by Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko last year, and as a result lost her world number one ranking to big-hitting Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.

But the irrepressible player from Poland regrouped to win the season-ending WTA Finals to wrest back the top ranking, which she has held onto ever since. "Last year I felt I had many things to defend, like the world number one position, all my points, and also the title itself," she told reporters in New York on Friday. "I felt like I had a lot of baggage on my shoulders.

This year it's a little bit different. This year I'm just trying to focus on what should I do tennis-wise to play the best game possible."My expectations are not as high compared to last year.

Courts Olympics reports Flushing FIVE Dash Iga Swiatek France Belarus Poland New York Latvia

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