Swiatek confident ahead of pressure-packed Olympic year

PERTH, Australia — Iga Swiatek has been here before. Last year, the 22-year-old kicked off her season at the United Cup with the No.1 ranking next to her name. Twelve months on, she is back at it again, this time leading Poland in Perth. 

Yet for Swiatek, this is no redux. As she prepares for her first match of the season on Dec. 30 against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, Swiatek is in the midst of an evolution, one she cemented by her perfect run at the WTA Finals in Cancun to edge Aryna Sabalenka for the year-end No.1 ranking.

“Playing these final matches in Cancun with such baggage on my shoulders in terms of rankings, it gave me a lot of confidence,” Swiatek told reporters at United Cup Media Day. “I learned a lot about myself. I’m going to take it in 2024.

“Honestly, I’m looking ahead for these tournaments that are going to happen here in Australia for me. I want to take it step by step. I feel more prepared for sure to deal with the pressure of being World No.1 this year than last year.”

With more tools at her disposal, Swiatek feels well-equipped to take on yet another tricky season. While last year’s degree of difficulty was boosted by the pressure to back up her historic 2022 season, this year’s schedule will include the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be played this summer at Roland Garros. 

The importance of the Olympics can vary from player to player, but Swiatek has a special connection to the games. Her father, Tomasz, competed at the 1988 Olympics as a rower. 

Swiatek made her own Olympics debut in Tokyo in 2021. She lost in the second round to Paula Badosa.

“For sure the pressure was huge,” Swiatek said. “I mean, you could see after I lost against Paula, I cried, it was a big fuss.

“This time is going to be a little bit different. I’m going to know the venue. It’s going to be on my favorite surface. On the other hand, these also bring up more expectations from the outside.

“I guess I’ll have to do the same kind of work as I do on every other tournament. I’m not going to lie to myself that it’s going to be easy or the same because it will be different a little bit.”

Behind Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, Poland is the top seed at the United Cup. WTA Coach of the Year Tomasz Wiktorowski plans to use the week to build toward Olympic success. 

“Obviously we won’t be able to practice mixed doubles too many times, so this is a very good chance for us to play for our country and at the same time, to practice for Olympic Games,” Wiktorowski said.

“We’re always saying we’re always right here right now for this tournament, but, yes, with Iga we are thinking about the Olympics. Maybe we’ll have one more chance in Indian Wells — there is a small exo where we can play mixed doubles. We have a chance for…