Iga Swiatek feels consistency at the top of the WTA Tour is not a new thing, points to yesteryear Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu as examples
Iga Swiatek stated that consistency at the top of the women's game is not a new phenomenon, pointing to Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu from five years ago as an example of it.
Swaitek has maintained her consistency at the top level for some time now. Her 2022 campaign remains one of the most consistent seasons for any player on tour, winning seven titles, including the Australian Open and the French Open. As a result, she has stayed at the top of the WTA rankings since April 2022.
During her post-match press conference at the Qatar Open, Swiatek opined that there have been a lot of players similar to her on tour who have consistently put out quality performances, like Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu did four to five years back.
"I don't really know how to kind of, how to judge that (on the change in consistency at the top of the womens' game), because on the other hand there were also really consistent players like three, four years ago, like Naomi or Bianca Andreescu. But we will see what's gonna happen in the future," she said.
Swiatek acknowledged her recent drought in form and reiterated that her aim would be to stay consistent no matter what.
"For sure my goal is to be consistent, and it was since the beginning. I wish I could kind of -- like from 2021 I just wanted to be consistent but on a higher level, like be in semifinals, finals. For sure last season kind of showed that I can do that. But right now I want to kind of come back to the balance and also know that I'm not gonna win every tournament," said the 21-year-old.
The Polish player is currently taking part in the Qatar Open. She registered a comprehensive win against Danielle Collins in the first round and received a walkover against Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals. Swiatek will face either No. 4 seed Coco Gauff or Veronika Kudermetova in the semifinals on Friday, February 17.
"I'm not really taking anything for granted" - Iga Swiatek on her approach at the Qatar Open
Despite being the reigning champion at the Qatar Open, Iga Swiatek has muted her expectations for this year's edition. The 21-year-old made it clear that she wants to capitalize on her experience of playing in Qatar last year and not take anything for granted.
"Nothing really changed, because this is a totally different chapter, totally different tournament. I know that any of us can win it. I want to use the experience that I had last year, but I'm not really, you know, taking anything for granted or, yeah, I just know that I feel comfortable here with the conditions.
Iga Swiatek will be keen to clinch her first title in 2023 at the Qatar Open after enduring a disappointing outing at the Melbourne Majors in January.