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Iga Swiatek is known around the world for her success as a professional tennis player. But the talented star wasn't always very confident about what she could offer to the sport. During a recent interview with Tennis Insider Club, Swiatek talked about the process of getting used to playing on the big stage.
It wasn't always easy for the Polish athlete to compete against the best players in the world. But after a couple of years of experience, Swiatek has established herself as the player to beat when it comes to the WTA Tour. She said [11:54 onwards]:
"I remember the first tournament I played in Auckland. I literally told my coach: "I don't belong here". Let's go back to ITFs. But then I went to (...) the second round (of the Australian Open) and the fourth round of Roland Garros... Everybody has doubts... Even if somebody says that they were confident from the beginning, I guess that's not really 100% true... It went pretty quickly, honestly. I went through every stage really fast. (The injuries) were the only thing sometimes stopping me."
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Iga Swiatek has already arrived at Melbourne in order to begin her 2025 campaign on the WTA Tour. The Polish player is looking to win her sixth Grand Slam title. Swiatek has previously won four French Opens and a single US Open title.
The WTA star will continue to cement herself as a respectable figure in the history of the sport thanks to the new season. Tennis fans from all over the world are only a couple of weeks away from finding out if Iga Swiatek will be able to capture yet another Grand Slam title.
The time period that Iga Swiatek is referring to when talking about not having enough confidence dates back to when the player was trying to enter the main events on the circuit. The pandemic changed the way the WTA worked, but it allowed Iga Swiatek to gain confidence by winning the 2020 French Open. That victory led the player to two other trophies in 2021, setting the stage for the historic runs Swiatek has enjoyed over the past couple of years.
What's next for Iga Swiatek?
The start of a new season will allow Iga Swiatek to focus on winning more titles this year. 2024 allowed Aryna Sabalenka to dominate the WTA Tour, which is why Iga Swiatek will have to bring the best of her abilities to the court this year if she wants to prevent the Belarusian from winning more championships. After this year's edition of the Australian Open, the best players in the world will be headed to Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, as the race to this year's WTA Finals heats up.
In the meantime, Swiatek has to focus on the first Grand Slam of the season. Other prominent players who will compete in this year's edition of the Australian Open include Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina among others. The winner of the first Grand Slam of the season will be determined in less than a month from now. Time will tell if Iga Swiatek will dominate yet another tournament, or if the career Grand Slam will continue to be a difficult challenge for the young star.
