Iga Swiatek makes confession about her stunning 2022 season and ‘ridiculous’ expectations

Ewan West 31 Oct 2023 3:56 PM

Iga Swiatek speaks to the media

Iga Swiatek has admitted she may never have another season like her outstanding 2022 campaign in her career but vowed she would do her best to replicate it.

The Polish star explained she felt the expectations placed on her in some quarters this year after her stellar previous season have been “kind of ridiculous.”

Swiatek posted a sublime 67-9 (88.2%) record in 2022 as she won eight titles: two Grand Slams, four WTA 1000 tournaments and two WTA 500 events.

The 22-year-old put together a remarkable 37-match winning streak last year – a run that saw her win six straight titles from Qatar to the French Open.

While she may not have quite hit the stratospheric heights of 2022, the four-time Grand Slam winner is having another excellent campaign in 2023.

Swiatek has won five titles: the French Open, the China Open WTA 1000 tournament, two WTA 500 events and a WTA 250. Following her fourth round exit at the US Open in September, she lost the world No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka.

Speaking to reporters at the WTA Finals in Cancun this week, Swiatek was asked about the expectations surrounding her this season.

“For sure sometimes I felt like it’s just kind of ridiculous because people got used to me winning. It’s not like it’s going to happen all the time,” said the Pole.

“This season was kind of more normal, I would say, like most of the seasons we play, for even the top players. I think the main thing that I want to avoid is forgetting that this was also a good season, and I still won some great tournaments. I won a Grand Slam.

“Comparing everything to 2022, I can tell you pretty confidently that I may not have a season like that again, but I’m going to do my best. For sure, the expectations from the outside, it was the thing that really sometimes stopped me this season. I’m going to work on not letting it stop me this time.”

The 16-time WTA Titlist also discussed the unpredictability of the year-end championships and argued every player competing has a chance to prevail.

“Honestly, so many things can happen this week. I think any one of us can win this tournament. I mean, Caro Garcia last year, she wasn’t in the top three and she still won. Same with [Garbine] Muguruza in Guadalajara [in 2021]. History shows that it’s not about who’s the favourite,” assessed Swiatek.

Swiatek is in the Chetumal Group at the WTA Finals in Cancun with world No 3 Coco Gauff, as well as sixth seed Ons Jabeur and seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova.

The 22-year-old recovered from trailing 2-5 and a double break in the opening set against Voundrousova to win her first match 7-6(3), 6-0 on Monday.