Down Under, there is thunder. At the Australian Open on Tuesday, Iga Swiatek, the women’s world No. 1 from Poland, brought out her top-class game to defeat Sofia Kenin 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.
There has been massive hype, as usual, on the possibility of Novak Djokovic winning an 11th Australian Open title. However, to not focus on Swiatek would be wrong.
Mixing her potent first serves and game suited for the hard outdoor courts in Melbourne, Swiatek conquered the former champion. Kenin, the Russian-American, had won the Australian Open in 2020.
Four years is a long time in tennis. Kenin’s standards may have slipped, but Swiatek has been eager and grown from strength to strength. In 2022, she started breaking all kinds of records. But the bigger deal is how she went into the year’s first major on the back of a magnificent unbeaten streak that stretches back to September 2023.
Yet, there was pressure on Swiatek to win the first round in a tournament that has already seen a fair few upsets. At the post-match conference, sometimes banal, Swiatek had to address many topics. The relevant one is related to who has influenced her.
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Akash Mishra, who limped off the training ground in India’s last practice session, seems fully fit kn today’s training session@Rahul_01Giri reports from Doha.@Pebble_India#AFCAsianCup #INDvUZB pic.twitter.com/dmFxDMWhL7
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Pronto, the name Swiatek mentioned was that of Ash Barty, the former champion who retired at the drop of a hat in 2022. “I’m hoping to see her (Barty) soon and I’m hoping to see the baby,” said Swiatek. “Ash changed my mindset going into 2022. That was a breakthrough for me. I was top 10 but feeling like she had such great tennis. Even though I knew what she was going to play, it was still tough to play her and win points. She motivated me. It’s not the only reason, but I felt like it’s one of the of the reasons I later became World No. 1.”
There was no doubting the respect that Swiatek had for Barty, Australia’s golden girl. “I don’t think I would have been No.1 had she been around,” she said at the post-match media conference. Swiatek had won the French and US Opens in 2022, and retained the French title in 2023. But winning in Melbourne would be a big thrill. Swiatek lost in the fourth round last year.
Strangely, she was asked about “sportswashing” by Saudi Arabia at the press conference. Rafael Nadal has been made ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation. After football, boxing and LIV Golf, the Saudis are trying to make headway in other sports as well.
Asked about Nadal, Swiatek was measured in her response. “It’s hard for me to sum up in one sentence,” she said. “There were a lot of rumours about the WTA Finals going to Saudi. We’re still waiting for the decision. It was always hard for me to say if it’s good or not, because it’s not easy for women in these areas. Obviously, these countries also want to change and improve politically and sociologically. It’s not easy to decide.
“In my case, because I have nothing to do with Rafa and his decisions, it should be up to the federations and the governing bodies who decide if we’re going to play there or not.”
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