Iga Swiatek has not recovered mentally after her early departure from the US Open. She has yet to win a match against Jelena Ostapenko, as the pair has played four times on tour. Swiatek had been performing better each year at the US Open but ended her grand slam run this season with a heartbreaking loss. She had mentioned feeling lost during the match in the press conference.
Swiatek had to process a lot of changes after the match. Since she was the defending champion, Swiatek’s defeat meant a loss in defending the ranking points. When asked about losing the ranking, Swiatek said, “There are plenty of things I know I should’ve done differently. Maybe I’m not mature enough yet to do that.” Her reign ended as Aryna Sabalenka took charge of the top spot.
Iga Swiatek was asked if she feels relief after losing the #1 ranking:
“I wouldn’t say relief. There are plenty of things I know I should’ve done differently. Maybe I’m not mature enough yet to do that. I’m working hard to not think about this stuff a lot.. when I’m gonna be in… pic.twitter.com/YMkKqxi1Ny
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 4, 2023
The defending US Open admitted that the season was stressful for her. She has played 66 matches in the season. There are events left on tour for Swiatek to gain points and catch up on Sabaelnka, but her focus might not be on that anymore. Swiatek spoke about following the advice of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. She is learning to embrace the sport more after learning from the big three.
Iga Swiatek to follow advice given by big three after US Open loss
Swiatek was the favorite at the US Open from the beginning of the event. The four-time grand slam champion had talked about the advice the big three gave during the event. She had also spoken to Federer about positively approaching the rankings. Swiatek will now enter the court with a new perspective on her mind. She revealed later about the advice given by the players.
Swiatek was suggested to focus more on the tournaments on the tour than the rankings. The big three have dominated the rankings in the past two decades but gave more importance to the competition. Swiatek had completed over 70 weeks on the top spot in her first outing. She said she would try to focus more on the tournaments even though she loves tracking the numbers.
Iga Swiatek says the #1 ranking meant a lot to her:
“It meant a lot. It was great. On the other hand, this last part was pretty exhausting. I still need to do all this stuff that my team & all these great players like Roger, Novak, & Rafa are telling me. You just have to focus… pic.twitter.com/Rgxrzsltao
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 4, 2023
The Polish player will not dwell too much on the loss and will start practicing for the next hardcourt event. Swiatek had played on three occasions last season after winning the US Open. The fans might again see her later this month. The 22-year-old still has a few weeks left to play in this season.
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