"I felt like I had a lot of baggage on my shoulders" - Iga Swiatek on feeling the pressure of being the defending champion at US Open in 2023

Iga Swiatek recently shared her thoughts on the pressure of being the defending champion at the 2023 US Open. She claimed her first New York Slam title and her third Grand Slam title overall in 2022.

In 2022, Swiatek was the top seed at Flushing Meadows and began her campaign with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the opening round. She proceeded to defeat former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2, and Lauren Davis 6-3, 6-4 in the second and third round, respectively.

The World No. 1 continued her winning streak by overcoming Jule Niemeier 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the fourth round and securing a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against eighth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. She secured her place in the final by triumphing over sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals.

At the summit clash, Swiatek defeated fifth seed Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (5) to win the 2022 US Open title.

Recently, while speaking to the press ahead of her campaign at the 2024 US Open, Swiatek acknowledged the weight of expectations she carried in 2023, where she reached the fourth round before being defeated by Jelena Ostapenko.

"Well, for sure last year I felt I had many things to defend, like World No. 1 position, all my points, and also the title itself. I felt like I have a lot of baggage on my shoulders," Iga Swiatek said.

"This year it's a little bit different. This year I'm just trying to focus on what should I do tennis-wise to play the best game possible. My expectations are not like so high compared to last year. So, I'm going to try to focus on getting everything step by step and not put too much baggage on my shoulders," she added.

Swiatek will face lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round of the 2024 US Open.

Iga Swiatek will face Kamilla Rakhimova in US Open 2024 1R

Iga Swiatek entered the New York Slam after a bronze medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a semifinal run at the Cincinnati Open. At the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Cincinnati, the World No.1 defeated qualifier Varvara Gracheva, 15th seed Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva before falling 3-6, 3-6 to third seed and eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Kamilla Rakhimova secured her place in the main draw of the US Open after working her way through the qualifying rounds. She was the top seed in the qualifiers where she defeated compatriots Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-2 and Maria Timofeeva 6-3, 6-0 in the first and second qualifying round, respectively.

The winner of the first-round match between Swiatek and Rakhimova will go on to face either Daria Saville or qualifier Ena Shibahara in the second round of the 2024 US Open.