"She's not really competing with other players, just with herself": Emma Raducanu's ex-coach Dmitry Tursunov on Iga Swiatek's dominance in 2022
Tennis coach and former player Dmitry Tursunov heaped praise on Iga Swiatek and said that the Pole is only in competition with herself.
The WTA World No. 1 has had an extraordinary season, winning 67 out of 76 matches. She won eight titles all year, including two Grand Slams and four WTA 1000 titles.
Tursunov told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview that Swiatek seems solid at the moment and that it almost looks like she is not competing with the other players.
"I mean, Iga seems pretty solid at the moment, her head is in the game, she seems to be hungry. It's almost like she's not really competing with other players, she's just kind of competing with herself. She has improved her game," he said.
"I feel like she's playing a little bit maybe more aggressive this year than she played last couple of years. And of course, she has a lot more belief in herself and that's what winning a lot of matches does to you. The longevity of that domination?" he added.
"It's challenging to describe it with one word or even a sentence" - Iga Swiatek on her 2022 season.
Iga Swiatek recently spoke about her 2022 season in a social media post and said that while her results were amazing, she also learned a lot about herself.
"Last few days I had more time to realize fully and embrace what happened this year… It's challenging to describe it with one word or even a sentence. What I know for sure is that it was special and I'll never forget it. On one hand my results were amazing… but on the other hand is what I learned about myself and it is a completely different story. There is still a lot of work, challenges and learning, that's for sure and I'm excited about it," Iga Swiatek wrote on Instagram.
Swiatek also thanked her family, coaching staff, business team, and fans for their support throughout the season.
"I'm still processing a bit but I would not accomplish everything I did without my team. Thank you, Tomasz, Daria, Maciej. Many thanks to my business team, to my family and sponsors. And last but not least, thank YOU for your support and being with me all season long. This season was quite an adventure because of you, too," the World No. 1 added.