WTA Doha: Iga Swiatek - "Every tournament is a different story"
Iga Swiatek is back in Doha. In the capital of Qatar, the Pole laid the foundation for an unbelievable winning streak last year. However, the world number one does not see an advantage in this.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Feb 13, 2023, 05:27 pm
The start of the tennis year 2023 was anything but according to plan for Iga Swiatek : At the Australian Open, the top favorite for the title had to say goodbye to the later finalist Elena Rybakina in the round of 16. A three-week break followed, which Swiatek says it used for intensive training sessions.
"The training workload was pretty high, so I had time to concentrate on technical things to improve as a player," Swiatek said before the start of the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha. After such a successful pre-season, she now wants to lower expectations and concentrate on working on the pitch.
37 wins in a row
Swiatek's memories of Doha, meanwhile, couldn't be better. Last year she won the title in Qatar, laying the foundation for an impressive run of success. The Pole won 37 matches in a row before the series broke in the third round of Wimbledon against Alize Cornet.
"It's been an amazing season. Things happened that don't happen often. I thought maybe in a few years I could be the kind of player who is consistent enough to stay at number one. But I haven't expected that to happen last year," Swiatek looked back.
Swiatek in the quarterfinals against Bencic?
Despite the good memories, the world number one does not expect an advantage for this year's edition of the top-class event: "I'm not really concentrating on defending the title. I have the feeling that every year is a different story, every tournament is a different story . It just doesn't make sense for me to think about last year's tournament."
The draw is difficult for Swiatek, as she could already meet Danielle Collins in round two after a bye at the start. Possible quarter-final opponent is Abu Dhabi winner Belinda Bencic.