"I really used the time after Australian Open to reset" - Iga Swiatek opens up about shift in perspective after disappointing season start

To say World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has looked at her lethal best at the ongoing Qatar Open in Doha would be a massive understatement.

The Pole entered the WTA 500 event following a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. In Doha, however, she has dropped only two games en route to the final.

Swiatek thrashed Veronika Kudermetova 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals to book her place in the title clash, where she will face second seed Jessica Pegula. Before that, she dispatched off former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins with an identical scoreline in the second round.

The 21-year-old was asked about the last time she felt as confident as she did this week in her post-match press conference on Friday. The Pole responded that she utilized the time after the Australian Open to "reset" herself and focus more on her technique. She also claimed that she feels more free on the court in Doha as a result, not overthinking what she was doing during her practice sessions.

"Well, I don't know about confidence, but for sure I feel like I'm more free here. I really used the time after Australian Open to reset and I'm trying to take a new approach with less expectations and more like focusing on the technique and less, I don't know, overthinking that every practice is going to influence my game," Swiatek said.

"I'm just kind of trying to chill down off the court as well so I can have more freedom on court. And for sure here I felt that, yeah," she added.

Iga Swiatek on "tricking her brain" to lower her expectations

Iga Swiatek during her Qatar Open semifinal against Veronika Kudermetova

Iga Swiatek was also probed on how she tricks her brain to lower expectations given her status as the World No. 1. The Pole revealed that she tries to focus on "smaller things" that make her happy, rather than her ranking and what is expected of her in tournaments.

"Well, on one hand, like tricking your brain is always going to be tough, so you have to kind of accept that these thoughts are going to come. It's not easy. For sure I have moments where it feels like impossible to kind of fight it, you know," Iga Swiatek said.

"So I'm just trying to, I don't know, accept that and focus on other stuff and not really overthink everything and just remember that I want to, yeah, as I said earlier, feel free on court. I'm just, I don't know, not wasting my time fighting about it. It's more like I'm focusing on different stuff and on smaller things that are kind of making me happy every day, yeah," she added.

Iga Swiatek will face Jessica Pegula for the seventh time when the two lock horns in Saturday's final in Doha. The Pole leads 4-2 in the head-to-head but the American won their last meeting at the United Cup.

Victory for Swiatek will see her lift her first piece of silverware in the 2023 season. She will also become the third woman to defend her title at the Qatar Open, with Anastasia Myskina (2003, 2004) and Victoria Azarenka (2012, 2013) being the others.