"I'm aware this streak may be coming to an end soon, so I don't want to be heartbroken when it's going to happen" - Iga Swiatek ahead of French Open
Top seed Iga Swiatek is aware her golden run won't last forever as she launches her bid for a second Roland Garros title.
The 20-year-old has been on a tear this season, racking up 28 consecutive wins and five titles, including four at the WTA 1000 level. At her last stop in Rome, Swiatek upended Ons Jabeur to successfully defend her Italian Open title.
Iga Swiatek has won…
- her last 28 matches
- her last 8 finals and all 16 sets in those finals
- her last 5 tournaments (Doha-IW-Miami-Stuttgart-Rome)
- 42 of her last 43 sets
It’s absolutely mind-blowing 🤯🤯
Swiatek arrives in Paris as the player to beat, but the 20-year-old doesn't feel invincible. At a press conference ahead of her first-round match at Roland Garros, the Pole said that she's mentally prepared for her streak to end at any time.
"Truth be told, I haven't played a Grand Slam since the streak started. I'm just honestly going to take it match by match. I'm aware that this streak is something that may be coming to an end soon, so I don't want to be heartbroken when it's going to happen. I think being aware of that is pretty healthy," she said.
Swiatek said that irrespective of what happens at the French Open, she will consider her season a huge success given what has unfolded so far.
"I already have so much points and I'm pretty happy with the last tournaments that I think this season is already a success for me," she added.
"Roland Garros for sure was a breakthrough for me" - Iga Swiatek on her 2020 triumph in Paris
Iga Swiatek won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2020. Two years later, riding a hot streak, she's the runaway favourite to triumph for a second time in Paris. Many analysts, including Andy Roddick, thinks it's "Swiatek against the field" this year at Roland Garros.
The Pole, though, feels that conditions were different at Roland Garros two years ago. With the tournament being held in October, the conditions were quick, the balls were heavy, and the clay was wet.
"They were different, for sure," said Swiatek. "It was faster, because it was more, like the clay was more wet. Balls were pretty heavy. So it was different, for sure. It's pretty hard to take experience from that."
A piece of Polish history 🇵🇱 A piece of Polish history 🇵🇱
@iga_swiatek #RolandGarros https://t.co/UG57PJcyID
However, she added that the experience of winning seven matches in two weeks has stood her in good stead.
"I'm taking the experience of the whole process, playing seven matches in two weeks, having the routines. And also getting to know how it is to go higher and higher in a Grand Slam, these kind of experiences help me not only for other Grand Slams but for like many tournaments," she said.
"So Roland Garros, for sure, was a breakthrough for me, and I would say like most of the experiences that I had in this tournament were really useful later."