"I learned from last year that there is no point on focusing on defending anything" - Iga Swiatek downplays pressure ahead of Qatar Open title defence

Iga Swiatek is gearing up for her third tournament of the season, the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. She recently shared insights into managing pressure as she prepares to defend her title.

Swiatek won the tournament in both 2022 and 2023, defeating American star Jessica Pegula in the latter's final with scores of 6-3, 6-0. After her triumph in Qatar, she went on to secure five more trophies and finished the 2023 season as the World No. 1 on the WTA rankings.

During a Qatar TotalEnergies Open press conference in Doha on Sunday, a reporter asked Swiatek if, as the defending champion, she saw the tournament as having points to defend or if it felt like a completely new event for her.

In response, she spoke about the learnings from the previous season- not to dwell on defending titles and approach it as a completely new chapter and a different story- choosing not to focus on her past two triumphs at the tournament.

“No, honestly I learned from last year that there is no point on focusing on defending anything, so it's a totally different chapter and totally different story. So I'm going to take it step by step and not really think about what happened last year or two years ago, because, we are all at different points in our lives,” Iga Swaitek Said

She also mentioned that she plans to take it one step at a time, opting not to set high expectations in tennis due to the unpredictability of surprises that can arise.

“Our tennis is also different, so, you know, I will take it step by step. I'm not really thinking about that. Obviously, it would be nice if I could play well here, but I already learned that you can't expect a lot in tennis because it's going to surprise you. So really I'm trying to take everything step by step,” Iga Swiatek added

Iga Swiatek is set to face Sorana Cîrstea in the second round of the 2024 Qatar Total Energies open

Iga Swiatek Getty images

Iga Swiatek entered the tournament as the top seed and is set to defend the trophy for the second consecutive season. On Monday (February 12), the World No.1 will face Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea in the second round of the 2024 Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Swiatek started her season at the 2024 United Cup, representing Poland alongside Hubert Hurkacz, Daniel Michalski, Jan Zielinski, Katarzyna Kawa, and Katarzyna Piter. However, they were defeated in the final by Germany.

She also competed in the Australian Open and beat Sofia Kenin and Danielle Collins in the first and second rounds, respectively, but lost against Linda Nosková in the third round.

On the other hand, the Qatar Total Energies Open will be Sorana Cîrstea’s fifth tournament of the season. She experienced first-round exits at the Brisbane International, the Adelaide International, and the Australian Open. She then competed at the Abu Dhabi Open, reaching the quarterfinal before being knocked out by Daria Kasatkina.

Swiatek currently leads their head-to-head 2-0, with their last encounter coming at the Indian Wells Masters where the Pole defeated Cîrstea in straight sets.