Iga Swiatek says her motto is to stay in the present and not dwell on the past ahead of her title defence at the Qatar Open.
The world No.1 is set to return to action in Doha which will be her first tournament since the Australian Open. Swiatek started her season at the United Cup team event before suffering a shock third round defeat at the Australian Open to Czech youngster Linda Noskova. It was her earliest exit from a major tournament since the 2022 Wimbledon Championships when she also lost in the third round.
“I always feel like the season is long and you have plenty of chances in later tournaments, so I’ll just work hard and do my best and we’ll see what’s going to come after,” Swiatek told reporters on Sunday.
The Qatar Open is a place of fond memories for Swiatek who has won the past two editions and is the only player to have won the event in consecutive years. 12 months ago, she stormed to glory by dropping just five games in three matches played, as well as receiving a walkover in the quarter-finals.
For this reason, it is assumed that the Pole is high in confidence given her previous success. However, she has played down its significance.
“I learned from last year that there is no point focusing on defending anything, it’s a totally different chapter and totally different story.” She explained.
“I’m going to take it step by step and not really think about what happened last year or two years ago because we are all at different points in our lives.
“Obviously it would be nice if I could play well here, but I already learned that you can’t expect a lot in tennis because it’s going to surprise you. So really I’m trying to take everything step by step.”
However, there is a trend for Swiatek which is that she tends to have success after taking a brief break from the Tour. After getting knocked out of the US Open last September she didn’t play another event for a month. When she returned she reached the last eight in Tokyo before winning titles in China and at the WTA Finals.
“I know that I had these comebacks or my level got up, but it’s not like it’s going to happen all the time,” the four-time major champion commented.
“I’m trying to keep my expectations low and work hard to find more confidence in my game because for sure in Australia I lacked it a little bit. I don’t know if the story is going to repeat itself. I will do my best to play the best tennis possible here, and that’s all.
Swiatek has a first round bye in Doha. She will begin her title defence against either Sorana Cirstea or Sloane Stephens.
