'Work At My Own Pace': Swiatek Not Bothered By Sabalenka Challenge

Friday, 22 December 2023 at 12:00

byZachary Wimer

Iga Swiatek will enter the 2024 season as world number one on the WTA Tour, which means that Aryna Sabalenka will try to hunt her down, but it doesn't bother her.

Swiatek has experienced what it's like to be hunted down as the world's best player. She was number one for over a year before losing it after the US Open. It was an experience that was a relief for Swiatek at the time due to the tremendous pressure.

It also allowed her to grow as a player as she returned to number one at the end of the year. Having had those experiences allows her to deal with the same situation much better this year, so she's not particularly worried about having the whole field chasing her from the start.

Even players like Sabalenka, who are more likely to dethrone her, don't worry her. She aims to work at her own pace and improve as a tennis player. The better she becomes, the more she can do on the court.

Read also

Forbes Names Swiatek And Not Gauff As 2023 Highest-Paid Female Athlete

The women’s tennis has been at a consistent level for the last couple of seasons. Me, Aryna and Elena, I feel, are standing out and playing consistently but there others who are also just trying to get better. However, for me there is no difference. I like to work at my own pace, but when somebody is competing with you and keeps pushing you then it has a positive impact and a negative impact, but I don’t over analyse it.

There are a lot of great players who are capable of great things, according to Swiatek, which she mentioned in her talk with Gulf News. It's not something she minds, but it can actually help her become even better. Ultimately, her focus for now is just on the events in Australia because that's coming up shortly.

I am just focusing on the tournaments in Australia, because the season is long and a lot of things can happen. So I’m just visually seeing how I am going to implement the things I practice everyday during the first two tournaments of the season and not thinking more right now.