"So many people surround me, accost me, it can be overwhelming"- Iga Swiatek weighs the pros and cons of fame that comes with being World No. 1
Iga Swiatek recently weighed the pros and cons of fame and shared her thoughts on dealing with the pressures that come with it. The World No. 1 is currently competing in the 2023 Poland Open in Warsaw.
In an interview with the Polish publication, Onet Przeglad Sportowy, Swiatek was asked if she missed having a more private life. The interviewer referred to her massive fan following in Poland and asked her to compare it to the time when she enjoyed a vacation in a place where she might be relatively lesser known.
The 22-year-old replied that while she did feel overwhelmed at times, she reminded herself that her personal fame also helped popularize the game.
"There are situations where the fact that so many people surround me, accost me, can be overwhelming, sometimes tiring, but I always try to remind myself that in a way I was aware that if I played tennis well, this would happen. I've always wanted people to be interested in tennis, and I appreciate that," she said.
She added that she had no complaints and believed in maintaining a balance between playing and vacationing.
"I admit that if you play tennis well, you can get a vacation that will make up for all the hardships and you can go to places that give you everything you need, so there are pros and cons, but I certainly shouldn't be the person who complains for your job," she added.
Iga Swiatek progresses to R2 of Poland Open 2023
On Tuesday, July 25, Iga Swiatek downed Uzbekistan’s Nigina Abduraimova in straight sets to reach the second round of the 2023 Poland Open.
After a quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon, the World No. 1 quickly changed her game up for hard courts to register a 6-4, 6-3 win over her opponent.
In a post-match on-court interview, Swiatek thanked her home crowd for their support and addressed the challenges of switching surfaces.
"It’s not an easy one to play, a little bit different stress than usual, but I’m happy for the chance to play in front of Polish crowds. First rounds, they aren’t easy, and anybody who knows a little bit about tennis, they’ll tell you that it’s a little bit harder to play at home," Swiatek said.
Coming from grass courts, for sure, I need to work on some stuff, but hopefully, I’m going to play better and better every day,” she added.
The 22-year-old reached as far as the quarterfinals in last year's edition of the WTA event, where she lost to eventual winner Caroline Garcia.
Iga Swiatek will next meet the winner between Claire Liu and Yue Yuan on Thursday, July 27.