FILE–Poland’s Iga Swiatek after dropping in opposition to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko throughout their girls’s singles quarterfinal tennis match on the WTA tour in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Marijan Murat/dpa by way of AP)
Iga Swiatek says she has grown accustomed to the excessive stress of expectations she shoulders every clay-court season and that she is “grateful” for the general public’s “excessive hopes” for her.
READ: Alex Eala braces for rematch vs ‘spectacular’ Iga Swiatek at Madrid Open
The world quantity two is essentially the most profitable clay-court participant of her technology and has received the French Open 4 instances.
By her stratospheric requirements, Swiatek is having a sub-par season however she has the possibility to show her 12 months round on the Madrid Open, the place she is defending her title this fortnight.
“It’s loopy, however persons are not conscious when they consider different those who we’re additionally human. The expectations for positive are excessive, however they’re excessive yearly for me since 2022,” Swiatek mentioned on Wednesday on the Caja Magica.
READ: Alex Eala advances in Madrid Open, units up rematch vs Iga Swiatek
“I’m simply making an attempt to maintain my job and probably not give attention to what folks say. Truthfully, they do not know what’s occurring in any of our lives, so in the event that they suppose some issues, they will simply suppose, nevertheless it’s not essentially the reality.
“However for positive I’m grateful that they’ve excessive hopes.”
The 23-year-old Pole kicked off her clay season with a quarter-final look in Stuttgart final week, the place she misplaced to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko for the sixth time in six conferences with the Latvian.
Whereas she is feeling good in follow, Swiatek remains to be ready for affirmation she will be able to hit her peak degree on her most well-liked floor.
“It’s good to have these first days and first week of simply grinding and practising,” she added.
FILE–Iga Swiatek of Poland meets Alexandra Eala of the Philippines after dropping to her on Day 9 of the Miami Open at Exhausting Rock Stadium on March 26, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Bello/Getty Photos/AFP
“I really like that, particularly on clay, as a result of tennis for me it’s essentially the most logical there, and in addition you will be extra inventive when it comes to the techniques and every part.”
The primary take a look at for the second seed in Madrid comes within the type of Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala, who shocked Swiatek en path to a historic semi-final run on the Miami Open final month.
“I really feel like I do know this place fairly properly, so I’m going to make use of the expertise, however the expertise doesn’t play, so I received to strategy this match as every other match, doesn’t actually matter what occurred in Miami,” mentioned Swiatek of her upcoming conflict.
