WTA Indian Wells: Iga Swiatek - Permanent target on the back
Iga Swiatek starts today as the defending champion and favorite in the WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Indian Wells. The Pole still hasn't quite gotten used to her role as the first to be hunted.
by Robin Huiber
last edit:
Mar 11, 2023, 01:29 pm
When Claire Liu enters the court in Indian Wells together with Iga Swiatek today, the signs are clear. Anything but a - smooth - victory for the world number one would be a surprise. That's what the fans expect, but Swiatek also expects it of itself. Although the Pole is known to have to fight against a "curse". Since Martina Navratilova in 1991, no player had managed to defend her title at Tennis Paradise.
There is still a long way to go before Liu, Bianca Andreescu may be waiting. The Canadian is still a long way from the form in which she won the title in Indian Wells in 2019. On good days, Andreescu plays extremely unpleasantly. Especially since Iga Swiatek feels the pressure on her.
Swiatek surprised by reactions
At the Australian Open, Swiatek Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina was beaten, after which she won her first tournament of the year in Doha and only lost in the final against Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai. Not for the first time - that happened to Iga Swiatek in Bratislava last autumn. The negative reactions to this defeat surprised the industry leaders.
"It reminded me that I would have been really happy with results like this last year before this big winning streak and before all these tournament victories," explained Swiatek in her press conference before the start of the event at Tennis Paradise. "But after all the comments, now I'm like, 'Oh! That's not enough.' It feels like there's a target on my back. I haven't felt that in the past year."
However, last year she sufficiently proved that Iga Swiatek can handle pressure quite well with her title wins in Roland Garros and at the US Open. And maybe she will even manage to defeat the curse of Indian Wells.
Here the individual tableau in Indian Wells
iwmap