Iga Swiatek generally doesn't have to play difficult opponents early because she's the top seed at tournaments that she plays, but this year at Grand Slams, it's been quite tricky.
Generally, as a top seed, players can get much easier draws than their unseeded rivals. At the smaller tournaments, they often have a first-round bye, and the second match doesn't really feature a top player either.
Grand Slams are a bit different because they're the best tournaments, and there are no byes. Swiatek reflected on her draws this year when asked about the media following her first-round match against Sofia Kenin.
She also played Kenin in the first round of the Australian Open, where the American won the title before, and both that and their match at Wimbledon weren't easy for the Pole.
She faced Naomi Osaka early in the second round of Roland Garros and nearly lost that match, so it's been quite tough in terms of draws for the World No. 1 this year.
The Polish player noted the difference between Grand Slam draws and regular event draws while highlighting that her approach doesn't change too much.
"That's a tough question because, you know, as a player that is seeded and sometimes even has a bye, you're kind of having these first two matches and having them under control, so it's not a case when you have a draw like that. You need to be ready straight away, and obviously, I treat every match fully like professionally, but sometimes you just know that you're going to have control."
There are benefits to having tougher matches early at the event because she gets a chance to overcome those struggles and those doubts early, but it's obviously tough to do, and as her match against Osaka proved, it can backfire.
"I wouldn't say it easier because at Roland Garros, as you could see, I could be out early against Naomi. It's a little bit harder, but on the other hand, when you have these stressful situations early in the tournament, you're not gonna be so stressed in the semi-final. You'll be already kind of in the rhythm."
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