"I don't consider it a total failure, as many people say" - Iga Swiatek looks back on her early defeat at the 2023 US Open

Iga Swiatek recently spoke about her 2023 US Open campaign, where she faced an early fourth-round exit.

Swiatek was the defending champion at the 2023 US Open but fell short in her attempt to win back-to-back titles at the New York Major. She crashed out in the fourth round against Jelena Ostapenko, who staged a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 comeback victory. The Pole’s exit came as a surprise to many, as she was one of the top favorites to win the trophy -- for the second year in a row.

For Iga Swiatek, however, incurring such a loss wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. While speaking to Eurosport during a recent interview, the 22-year-old recalled that she has faced fourth-round defeats at Grand Slams before.

In fact, of the 19 Major events she has contested so far, she has bowed out in the final-16 stage seven times – the previous one coming earlier this year against Elena Rybakina at the 2023 Australian Open.

"It wasn't the first time I lost in the fourth round," Iga Swiatek said. "I don't consider it a total failure, as many people say. I know a tournament like this can happen."

Swiatek also recalled her tight fourth-round match at the US Open last year, where she came back from the brink of defeat against Jule Niemeier (2-6, 6-4, 6-0). The World No. 2 thus did not fret over her recent result and made her peace with not being able to find the solutions this time around.

“Even last year I was very close to being eliminated in the fourth round. Sometimes you can get out of a situation like that, sometimes you can’t,” she added.

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"The truth is that there was little time to train" – Iga Swiatek on her hectic 2023 season

Iga Swiatek at the 2023 US Open

Similar to the previous season, Iga Swiatek currently leads the tour with 56 match wins. The World No. 2 has also won four titles in 2023, the highest on the WTA Tour alongside Coco Gauff.

Swiatek discussed the downsides of playing a tight schedule, which led to a lack of proper training as well as injuries (at the Indian Wells Open and the Italian Open).

“The truth is that there was little time to train. This is the second season in which I have played the most games among all the girls and I suffered two injuries. I think that, if I were not the leader of the world ranking and I was 22 years old, I would have much more time to develop as an athlete,” she said during the Eurosport interview.

The Pole said that she will be choosing her tournaments wisely in the coming season in order to avoid defeats caused due to technical errors.

“Next season we will definitely think about the calendar. I'm the type of player who clearly needs a full week or two to improve my technique. Because it can always happen that the technique fails, you start to panic and think in your head what to do to play better,” she noted.

Following her US Open exit, Iga Swiatek pulled out of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open. She has been focusing on her training since, and will next be seen in action at the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan (September 25 – October 1).