Iga Swiatek shares what she told her coach after playing in first WTA event

Posted by Admin January 6, 2025 Tennis

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Iga Swiatek endured a mixed 2024 and this year she will be hoping to try and regain her place as the world’s best female player.

The Polish superstar managed to win a third successive French Open crown last year but will be disappointed to see her position as the world number one slip.

Swiatek was thrashed by Coco Gauff in the United Cup over the weekend and now a revenge mission will be in her sights at the Australian Open.

The 5ft 9in performer has never won in Melbourne, with her best run at the event coming in 2022 when she reached the semi-final.

Ahead of the competition, Swiatek has been discussing certain aspects of her game and has been answering questions about the start of her career.

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA

What Iga Swiatek told her coach after making WTA debut

Swiatek has provided an injury update ahead of the Australian Open and perhaps she won’t be a full tilt this year.

The 23-year-old turned pro in 2016 and she’s been discussing how she felt after playing on the WTA Tour for the first time, making a bold admission to her coach.

“I can’t say that it was hard because there are people that are literally having this transition for many, many years. For me, it was basically a few months.

She told the Tennis Insider Club podcast: “But I remember the first tournament I played in Auckland, I literally told my coach I don’t belong here. Let’s go back to ITF’s. But then I went to the Australian Open and managed to get through quailes and go to the second round and then the fourth round of Roland Garros.

“So I can’t say it was tough but everybody has doubts. Even if someone says they were confident from the beginning that’s not really 100% true. But it went pretty quickly honestly, I got through every stage pretty fast.”

Swiatek will have a tough task to win Australian Open

Taking all of the Grand Slam events into consideration, the Australian Open has proved one of Swiatek’s worst.

Wimbledon is perhaps slightly more of a problem for the Polish star with the quarter-final being her best finish at the All England Club.

As a result, Swiatek has it all to do to claim success at the Australian Open this time around and perhaps it’s hard to imagine her winning a first Melbourne crown in 2025.

It’s fascinating, however, to hear that a multi major winner struggled to believe that she belonged on the tour after her debut match.

She’s come a long way since that period and Swiatek would dearly love to claim a maiden Australian Open title when things get underway on Sunday.