Iga Swiatek says she doesn’t see herself as a title favourite going into the US Open despite her surge in form in recent weeks.
The world No.2 has won 14 out of her last 15 matches played, claiming her first titles at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open. The only player to have beaten her during this run was Clara Tauson in Canada. Swiatek’s surge in form came after she went for more than a year without winning a trophy.
Given her recent form, Swiatek is regarded as one of the key title contenders at the US Open, which she won in 2022. However, the 24-year-old has played down her favorite status heading into New York due to the depth of women’s tennis.
“I think it doesn’t make sense to call anyone the favorite. Women’s tennis, I wouldn’t say it’s unpredictable because there are some girls that are constantly in the top and we are proving that we can play well throughout the whole season,” Swiatek told reporters on Saturday.
“But there are many players who play really well and can win the tournament.
“So I got used to the expectations. Obviously, after winning so many things, they are always going to be there.”
Swiatek links her resurgence to the work she did on the technical side of her game during the off-season. Although it wasn’t until half-way through the year that everything started to click for her.
“The season got a bit more complicated from other perspectives, so I wasn’t in a really good zone to win the tournaments,” she explained.
“But I would say after Roland Garros, I kind of got back to my usual self. I would say the process of learning all this stuff that I learned in preseason kind of came back, and for sure I used it on Wimbledon and on hard court in Cincinnati. And we’ll see what’s going to come next.”
Guiding Swiatek on the Tour is coach Wim Fissette, who joined her team last year. The Belgian has worked with a series of top names in women’s tennis, such as Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, Zheng Qinwen and Victoria Azarenka.
Speaking about her work with Fisette, the Pole admits she can be set in her ways at times and needs to be convinced that making certain changes to her game will work for her. Nevertheless, she is prepared to do so when required.
“If it’s a big technical change or just a small adjustment, I would say I’m a quick learner. I’m the kind of player who really needs to repeat new things from time to time. I think everybody who has a technique will sometimes go back to the old habits.” She said.
“Everything he (Fisette) said to me made sense, and if it didn’t, then we just have to talk more, and he had to explain a bit more. I had to try again and again, and then it started working.
“So it depends on the situation.”
Swiatek will play Emiliana Arango in the first round of the US Open.
