US Open 2022: You’ve to be ready to take your chances, says Iga Swiatek

During the American hard-court swing, where she lost in the round-of-16 in Toronto and Cincinnati, she spoke about the conditions and the weight of the ball, which were a concern. At the US Open this fortnight the 21-year-old has played through those issues to make her third Grand Slam final, her first on hard court. “The work I did is paying off, you’re going to have your chances and you have to be ready,” the world no.1 said. “In this tournament I was fresh mentally to use the chances. I’m pretty happy that even though maybe I wasn’t feeling perfect from the beginning of the tournament, I was still able to get better and better and to play a really solid game.”

“It’s the best thing basically, she added. “On clay I feel just perfect. For me winning when I’m not feeling perfect is the best feeling. The satisfaction is pretty big.” There will be more questions for Swiatek against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur on Saturday, it’s the only way the fifth seed knows to play. “I’m that kind of person who is not yet trusting myself. I trust myself for sure on clay,” she said. “It’s not like it’s something negative for me. For sure, having doubts is not nice, but I also find it pretty motivating to try to get better and find new skills to get as close to the trust as possible.”