Iga Swiatek admits her perspective in tennis has shifted over the years, but adds it is important to remember her love for the sport after moving into the third round of the Australian Open.
The second seed dropped just five games during her 6-2, 6-3 win over Marie Bouzkova, who is a former French Open finalist. Despite being broken once in each set, Swiatek managed to keep in control of proceedings with the help of 31 winners compared to her rival’s tally of just three. She has now won 92 Grand Slam matches since the start of 2021, which is more than any other WTA player during this period.
“It felt great playing today. I felt more free than in my first round, so I really wanted to go for it.” Swiatek said during her on-court interview.
“The conditions weren’t easy. On the court, it was super windy. So I needed to adjust to that and I’m really happy with the performance for sure.”
Swiatek is making her eighth main draw appearance at Melbourne Park this year, with her best results being a run to the semi-finals twice in 2022 and 2025. Should she claim her maiden title, the Pole would join a small list of players to complete a career Grand Slam. She currently has six major trophies to her name.
Given her success on the court, Swiatek admits it is sometimes easy to take things for granted. Despite being only 24, she has already spent 125 weeks as world No.1 and won 25 titles on the WTA Tour.
“This is not going to sound like I’m humble, but after winning so much, it’s hard to appreciate just one match,” she explains.
“I’m usually kind of happy after I finish the whole tournament if I win. If not, then I’m a bit less happy but I got to learn to appreciate every single match and not take anything for granted.”
One of those she is learning and drawing inspiration from is Novak Djokovic, who won his second round match at the Australian Open in straight sets. The Serbian is the only player aged 38 or older currently in the ATP top 100.
“The perspective changes, but you always need to remind yourself to enjoy playing,” she continued.
“Sometimes it’s not easy with so many matches per year, you’re going to have bad days or you’re going to be judged. But it’s crucial to come back to that.
“For example, Novak can play for so long. He achieved everything but he still enjoys winning and this feeling. So it’s good to look at people like that and find some inspiration.”
Swiatek will next play 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya.
