Iga Swiatek is widely considered as the number-one favourite for the 2024 Australian Open and her play at the start of the year certainly backs that up.
Swiatek finished last year on a very high note, winning the super complicated WTA Finals in Cancun. The win was significant in many ways because it allowed her to return to the number one spot on the WTA Tour, among other things, which made her draw a bit easier in Melbourne.
It also gave her confidence ahead of this year because that's important. So much in tennis is related to confidence, and the more confidence players have, the better they usually play.
We've seen that in her level so far in 2024, as she's been really strong, and she's happy with it. Speaking to media at the United Cup, Swiatek reflected on her level, which she described as 'not rusty'.
I'm really happy with my level and the way I'm focused. I'm not feeling rusty. I'm not feeling like I need to get into a lot of rhythm. I'm playing freely, the same way I felt in Beijing, after US Open basically. I'm just happy to be in that place.
One thing that Swiatek always emphasized when it comes to her tennis is just becoming better as a player. She never really used results as a measuring stick, as effective as they might be, but simply worked to become a better player overall.
That's what she's noticed so far in the season. The work she put in before it started is helping her in matches because she has more variety this year. It was much needed because she lacked it.
As coach said, we really worked on some stuff and it's working. I can see myself sometimes choosing different options because I have more variety. I'm just happy that it's working. Hopefully I'll be able to keep that mindset for a longer time than last year before AO.
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