Watch: Iga Swiatek reveals her favorite track by Australian rock group AC/DC
Iga Swiatek put on a scintillating display in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open, thrashing thrashed Harriet Dart 6-3, 6-0. The Pole will face Rebecca Peterson in the next round.
In her post-match interview, the former Roland Garros winner expressed her excitement to be in Australia, which is home to one of her favorite bands, AC/DC. Speaking about the city's rich music culture, the Pole said she hoped to catch a few shows in the future, once the pandemic comes to and end.
Calling all @ACDC fans 🎸
@iga_swiatek is ready to unleash the thunder 🤘
#AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/vCtmJyGMce
"Yeah, I'm actually hoping that the shows are going to be back soon, because of COVID I couldn't go to any of the concerts. Actually I was here for Florence and the Machine in 2019. So Melbourne is a kind of place where I like to find cool stuff to do. Hopefully next year if things go back to normal," Swiatek said.
When asked about her favorite AC/DC track, she was quick to respond, "Thunderstruck."
The World No. 9 has often spoken about her fascination for old-school rock music. In an interview published by the WTA tour at Roland Garros in 2019, she revealed she listened to Thunderstruck by AC/DC to get pumped up for matches.
"I have a type of music for every mood, but I love rock," Swiatek said as quoted by the WTA tour. "I love Pink Floyd. If I have a mood for Pop, I like ABBA. I also like Coldplay, Florence and the Machine, Santana. And if I want something more aggressive, AC/DC gets me in the mood. I've been listening to "Thunderstruck" before the matches," she added.
"This season my expectations are to not have many expectations" - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek shot to fame in 2020, when she clinched her first Grand Slam title at the age of 19. She entered the Roland Garros draw unseeded and became the first Polish player to win a Major, doing so without dropping a set.
However, Swiatek has not had much success at the Majors since. In a recent interview with the BBC, the 20-year-old said she needed to "chill out" after her maiden Slam title and lower the expectations on herself.
"After winning a Grand Slam you might think 'I can now be happy for the rest of my life' but it is totally the opposite to that," she said. "I expected a lot from myself and wanted to show people that I could play like that all of the time. It was kind of impossible. So I needed some time to chill out a little bit. I had to just remember 'I'm 20 and still have lots of time to develop and to learn'."
"I could easily cut out all the things I read or heard from other people - but my expectations were the worst. My psychologist Daria Abramowicz gave me a lot in terms of helping me understand myself more and understand why I am such a perfectionist."
The Pole believes she can perform consistently as long as she keeps her expectations in check.
"I need to keep my expectations level. This year I think it will be easier for me to do that because I understand the whole process better. I need to remind myself I'm doing well. This season my expectations are to not have many expectations!"