Iga Swiatek won the 2023 China Open in Beijing, a WTA 1000 tournament, but it wasn't an easy journey for the Polish player.
Despite having a great season, one which keeps her in touch with the year-end world no. 1 rankings, many had high expectations from the Polish player, especially after her sensational 2022 season, in which she had a 37-match win streak.
That is now over, and in 2023, Swiatek also had to deal with some disappointments. One of them was not defending the US Open title, tournament after which she lost the world no. 1 spot. Yet, she entered the 2023 China Open in Beijing with one goal in her mind, and that's bouncing back, as she always does.
However, it was because of this ability that she possesses, to bounce back, that he Polish player felt anxious ahead of the tournament. She increased the expectations and put pressure on herself, that's why the win mattered so much to her.
"It was just kind of hard for me to not think about all this stuff that sometimes is messing with my head a little bit. But it really clicked here in Beijing. It wasn't easy before the first match. I felt like really anxious. I felt like usually after feeling down, I tend to bounce back. This was something that I was kind of expecting to do. It put even a little bit more pressure on myself."
After the victory, Swiatek cried and she wasn't shy to admit it. During the post-match press conference, she admitted that while she's on the tennis court, she tries to cut everything off and focus only at the performance on hand.
"So I just was really able to, like, cut everything off and just think kind of about the future, really about the next step, really about the next five minutes what I want to do on court. Sometimes it's harder. Sometimes it's easier to do that."
The Pole was happy that she was able to keep her attitude throughout the tournament, and that was also one of the reasons why she managed to win. She became the first woman to win five singles titles in 2023, and that's an achievement to celebrate.
"For sure here in Beijing it just worked. Every day I was able to keep this attitude. I think I really just enjoyed playing here on this surface and on these stadiums. Everything kind of worked."
"Sometimes I feel like that at Roland Garros, that I really know this place, that everything is really nice and comfortable. Here I'm for the first time, but I also felt that. I just enjoyed my team here in Beijing, and that also had some influence (smiling)."
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