"I explain to Iga Swiatek she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone" - Pole's father Tomasz shrugs off concerns over her reputation & form

Iga Swiatek's father Tomasz recently dismissed concerns about her form. He said that she doesn't need to prove anything to anyone.

Swiatek has had an exceptional season thus far, claiming five titles this year. She emerged victorious at the Qatar Open by defeating Elena Rybakina in the final, followed by winning the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells by triumphing over Maria Sakkari in the championship match.

The World No. 1 then clinched two consecutive titles, the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final on both occasions. She then secured her fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open by overcoming Jasmine Paolini in the summit clash. Swiatek also earned her first Olympic medal, a bronze, by defeating Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In an interview with the Polish publication WP SportoweFakty in August, Tomasz Swiatek expressed that Iga Swiatek's stellar performances have set a high standard for her fans. He said that most of her fans feel that she is unbeatable as she makes most matches seem easy for her.

He stated that winning every match is not necessary, and he encourages Swiatek to simply enjoy playing tennis without feeling the need to prove herself to anyone.

"Maybe Iga [Swiatek] has really accustomed fans to the fact that most matches are quite easy for her. However, one has to keep a certain distance from it. It's not like she has to win every match. I myself explain to her that she has already done so much that now she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone and should focus on enjoying it," Tomasz said [translated from Polish].

Tomasz also acknowledged that there may come a time when Iga Swiatek experiences a dip in form, stating that it is a natural part of life and that everyone faces ups and downs.

"I'm not afraid of that at all, because we know that there will come a time when she will train or play worse. Or simply her motivation will be lower. That's part of life and sport. In her case, it's all a matter of internal motivation. If she falls for various reasons, then of course her position in the ranking will also fall. However, I don't think it will be a drama. It's a natural course of events, because life is not a straight line that only goes up," he added.

"I come to Iga Swiatek's tournaments and spend time with her, we don't talk about tennis at all" - Pole's father Tomasz

In the aforementioned interview, Iga Swiatek's father Tomasz revealed that when he attends her tournaments, they purposely avoid discussing tennis. He said that it was important to allow Swiatek to take a break from the sport and engage in conversations other than tennis.

"When I come to Iga's tournaments and spend a lot of time with her, we don't talk about tennis at all. We decided a long time ago that you can't live your life with sports all the time. Even during important tournaments, you have to escape your thoughts from tennis, because thinking about it all the time wouldn't do you any good," Tomasz said.

Tomasz said that the most successful tennis players are those who maintain a balance between their dedication to the sport during training, matches, and analysis, while also making time for other interests and activities in life.

"The best tennis players are characterized by the fact that they devote themselves to the discipline 100% at a given time - during training and during matches, or during post-match analysis. The rest of the time they devote to other issues," he added.

Iga Swiatek most recently competed at the 2024 US Open, where she made it to the quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula. The World No.1 was then set to participate in the 2024 Korea Open and China Open but withdrew from both events due to fatigue and personal reasons respectively.