Iga Swiatek's first practice session on the Montreal hard courts sparked some curiosity as she was pictured wearing tape on her mouth.
Fresh from capturing her first career title on home soil at the Poland Open a week ago, Swiatek embarks on her latest adventure in Montreal, where she arrived a couple of days ago and wasted no time in hitting the practice courts at the 2023 Canadian Open.
The Polish star was captured with a tape on her mouth during a hitting session - a practice that is common among athletes. While there is no conclusive evidence of what the pros and cons are of wearing a tape over the mouth, fans on X, formerly Twitter, pointed out that it can help to improve nasal breathing, allowing for more efficient oxygen intake.
Nasal breathing is also linked to oxygen transmission to key muscles in the body and leads to better performance. Last year, Simona Halep struggled with breathing issues and underwent nasal surgery. In hot conditions, breathing problems could be detrimental to players. China's Yibing Wu recently collapsed mid-match due to such issues.
Swiatek isn't fond of winning in the build-up to the US Open, with her best results at the Canadian Open being two round of 16 finishes while the tournament was held in Toronto. She'll play in Montreal for the first time next week. She has a bye in the first round and could open up against one of Zhu Lin or former number one Karolina Pliskova.
Swiatek leads Aryna Sabalenka by a mere 645 points heading to the North American hard-court swing. In fact, depending on the results next week, the number one ranking could change hands. Swiatek has held onto top spot since getting there on her first attempt last April.
Swiatek and Sabalenka are in opposite halves of the draw and can only meet each other in the final in Montreal.
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