Iga Swiatek: "2023 has been the most difficult year of my career"

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has admitted that 2023 has been the 'most difficult year' of her career so far.

Swiatek capped off this season by winning her first WTA Finals title and regaining her pole position in the WTA Rankings. Aside from the year-end championship, she has won five more titles, including a WTA 1000 in Beijing, two WTA 500s in Doha and Stuttgart, a WTA 250 in Warsaw, and the French Open.

Iga Swiatek, who is already back on the practice courts for her pre-season training, spoke with Punto de Break about her 2023 season. The 22-year-old Pole stated that this was the 'most difficult year' of her career as she lost the World No. 1 ranking and suffered from injuries among other things.

"This has been the most difficult year of my career, although my possibilities are also increasing. What seemed complicated to me two years ago, doesn't seem so complicated now," Swiatek said.

"It's not just about adapting to situations, since I started the season as No. 1 and then lost that position, but also injuries. For me it has been another year playing at the highest level, so I didn't even have time to go home and rest," she added.

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Iga Swiatek: "I always want to win, every athlete has that in their blood"

Iga Swiatek pictured with the 2023 WTA Finals trophy

Iga Swiatek then discussed how she stays motivated even after tasting great success on the WTA Tour. She responded that what keeps her going, like any other athlete, is her hunger to win more.

"There are moments when the matches are a bit monotonous, moments where you feel that the next tournament won't be something special. But then when I step on the court, those thoughts disappear," Swiatek said.

"I always want to win, every athlete has that in their blood, or at least they should. We want to show what we can do and that is stronger than any other feeling," she added.

The four-time Grand Slam champion also sent a message to her fans, saying she will try to do her best in each tournament she enters. However, she cautioned that it is not a 'promise' since tennis is a very unpredictable sport.

"Now I am more effective and I reach the later rounds of tournaments more frequently, in a way the fans can trust me and appreciate it. Of course, I don't promise that it will be like this all the time, because careers can take different paths, tennis is a sport where you can't win all the time. It is said that it is a sport of mistakes and defeats, so the important thing is not to get frustrated and keep working," Iga Swiatek said.