World No. 1 tennis star Iga Swiatek living childhood dream as she prepares for Dubai tournament

DUBAI: Fresh from a first win of the year and a 12th career title in Doha, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Monday arrived in the UAE for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a warning for her rivals.

The 21-year-old player revealed that her career success to date had been exceeding her dreams as a child but in a message to her opponents said that there was “even more” to come.

Asked by Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships junior reporter Sarah Bachnakova — an 11-year-old student at South View School in Dubai — what advice she would give to her younger self, Swiatek said: “I would tell myself that it’s possible and that I’m actually going to do even more than I expect, that I dreamt about.”

The Pole produced a devastating display of precision and power in conceding just five games in three Doha matches following a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open.

“I think I would give myself a little bit more of the belief, and inspiration. When I was younger, it was all just tennis, school, and there wasn’t much perspective.

“I always watched WTA (Women’s Tennis Association). I thought it was a totally different place. Maybe I would tell myself that I’m going to be at that place pretty soon,” Swiatek added.

Top seed in Dubai, Swiatek will on Tuesday start her quest for a maiden Dubai title against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez on Centre Court at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.