French Open champion Iga Swiatek looking to ‘keep expectations low’ ahead of Australian Open

Players are now facing a warm-up event ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam

Arvind Sriram
Sunday 31 January 2021 12:06 GMT
Comments
Iga Swiatek, 19, is the 2020 French Open champion
Iga Swiatek, 19, is the 2020 French Open champion (Getty Images)
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Some of the world's top tennis players criticised Australia's strict hotel quarantine rules ahead of the Australian Open but for French Open champion Iga Swiatek it was almost a source of relief, allowing her to escape the limelight that followed her Roland Garros triumph last year.

The 19-year-old went from being a largely unknown teenager ranked 54th in the world to acquiring celebrity status when she won the French Open title and she had to quickly adapt to her new-found fame back in Poland with sponsorship deals and a deluge of media requests.

Swiatek, now in Melbourne ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season, said quarantining had allowed her to stay out of the spotlight, although she counted herself lucky not to be among the 72 players not allowed out to practise because of Covid-19 cases on their flights to Australia.

"During quarantine, I could practice and I could go out for five hours a day. I was one of the lucky ones," Swiatek said. "It was okay. I mean, after all the fuss that was in Poland, it was nice to be in another place, rest, focus on working.

"Obviously I sometimes needed to go out, to breathe some fresh air, but I couldn't do that. It's not a problem. I'm really glad that we have a chance to play, to do what we love."

Swiatek's life was turned upside down after she became the youngest woman to win the French Open since Monica Seles in 1992 and the Pole said she was embracing the extra obligations that came with her stardom.

"It's not bothering. It's nice," she said. "Right now I feel like there are more eyes on me."

Swiatek said she would not be fazed by the hype surrounding her heading into the Australian Open, which begins on 8 February.

"I don't feel more pressure than before. I'm trying to keep my expectations low," she added.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in