Days after playing a charity match in Krakow, Poland, Iga Swiatek returned to the WTA Tour, beating compatriot Magdalena Frech in the opening round of the 2022 Poland Open in Warsaw.
The event presents Swiatek with a unique opportunity of playing tennis back home which is something she will never turn down. She is proud of being Polish, and she has always spoken about her wish to represent Poland and win for the country.
It started well for her at the Poland Open, as she bested her compatriot Magdalena Frech in two easy sets. For her, it was a special win, as she explained after the match.
"For sure playing in your hometown with all that crowd is pretty extraordinary, I didn't get a chance to play many tournaments in Poland so for sure I needed extra focus and determination to come here and stay in the zone and not let my head think about other stuff."
The final score, 6-1, 6-2, was a direct consequence of a deliberate plan to take the ball early and attack. Frech is not shy on the court and Swiatek knew what needed to be done in order to win. She admitted to it after the match.
"I'm happy that I was solid today because Magda is not an easy opponent. From the beginning, I wanted to put pressure on her and I did that pretty well. I'm pretty sure with our styles the result may be different on different surfaces, for example, grass. But here I didn't have a problem coming back with my topspins."
It was the first official match Swiatek played after her Wimbledon exit, and asked about her preparation for it, she explained that she took a break after her loss at SW19.
"I had a break after Wimbledon but I pretty quickly forgot about it because I trained really hard. We had a small pre-season before this tournament. So physically, I feel great."
"Mentally, I had some challenges, like having that exhibition match in Krakow, which was really emotional. Mentally, it was crazy all that happened there."
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