'Play without pressure,' Iga Swiatek reveals the difficulties of living up to the mark as World No.1

After sharing the part of her life full of struggles and hard work to get to the main stage of tennis, the Pole found herself face-to-face with a different challenge—maintaining the position at the top.

I hoped I would be able to play without pressure. But in Toronto and Cincinnati, I realized how hard it is to be world number one when every player wants to beat you. They’re playing their best tennis against you. Said Iga Swiatek in the interview.

After becoming World No. 1, Swiatek revealed the difficulties of maintaining it. Not only did she have immense pressure to perform her best in every tournament, but she also had a target on her back. Other players were hungry for the top spot and kept on playing their best tennis to try and beat Swiatek.

Currently, the race is between her and Aryna Sabalenka for the top spot. Sabalenka did become the tour leader for the first time, but it did not last long. Swiatek soon won the 2020 WTA Finals and has raced away with the points. 

Iga Swiatek reveals her initial reaction when legendary Ash Barty retired from tennis at the age of 25

In an interview with the Tribune, Polish pro Iga Swiatek opened up about her major life event, which shaped the person and player she is now. One of the major parts of the story was Australian pro-Ash Barty. 

The cricketer turned tennis player was one of the major finds in any sport. Known for her versatility, Barty had a major influence on many players, including Swiatek. A few years ago, Swiatek was on the climb to World No. 1 and was only a few points away from replacing the Australian at the top. 

However, in a major turn of events, Barty announced her retirement from the sport, meaning that Swiatek had a golden opportunity to become World No. 1. During the interview, Swiatek spoke about how she reacted to this sudden decision from Barty at a young age. 

 I didn’t understand at first. I was like, What? How is that possible?? And then I started crying. I was sobbing. I couldn’t stop crying. Honestly, it didn’t have that much to do with potentially moving up in the ranking. It might sound strange, but I was so confused and shocked that Ash was 25, and she was retiring. Said Swiatek

Nevertheless, Swiatek got a free pass to become World No. 1 after spending three days as No. 2. Now, the Pole gears up for another edition of the prestigious Roland Garros, where she targets her fourth title there.