Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek to 'take it step by step' in S. Korea debut
Iga Swiatek of Poland is in action against Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the quarterfinal of the women's singles at the US Open held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, Sept. 3. Reuters-Yonhap / Mike Frey-Imagn Images
Iga Swiatek, world No. 2 in women's tennis and the reigning Wimbledon champion, said Sunday she won't look past her first match in Seoul this week despite her pretournament status as the title favorite.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, will make her South Korea debut this week at the Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul. Qualifying matches began Saturday, and as the top seed, Swiatek received a bye in the round of 32 and will start her tournament in the round of 16.
As the highest-ranked player with the most Grand Slam titles this week, Swiatek is justifiably considered the big favorite to win the WTA 500 tournament. But at her pretournament press conference Sunday, the 24-year-old from Poland said this will be anyone's tournament to win.
"I don't think it makes sense to even think about the final already, and any girl can win this tournament," she said. "Great players come here. So I'm just going to really take it step by step. Just think about my first match. I only came here yesterday, so I really need to use my time to just focus on here and now, and the practices and the first match. We'll see how I'm going to feel, how I'm going to play, and there are many players who can play in the final. So we'll see."
Swiatek captured the Wimbledon crown in July, beating Amanda Anisimova of the United States without dropping a game in the final. Earlier this month, though, Swiatek lost to Anisimova in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, where Swiatek admittedly battled foot problems.
Swiatek said Sunday she is pain-free.
"I haven't been practicing a lot because I needed time to recover and to do everything to just be ready to play matches," she said. "So physically, I feel great. I feel like I need to practice some more, but I don't have any pain or anything. It's all good."
Though this is Swiatek's first visit to South Korea, her family has some connection with the country, particularly Seoul. Her father, Tomasz, represented Poland in rowing at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and placed seventh in the men's quadruple sculls event.
The daughter will now play at the same court that hosted tennis matches during the 1988 Olympics.
Iga said she had thought about bringing her father over to Seoul but they were pressed for time and he had other plans.
"Maybe next year, I think it would be really fun for him to come back, especially when he's not traveling so much on tour. Every tournament is kind of special," she said. "His experience here was kind of a highlight of his career. And when I was driving by the city, I saw so many things that still are here from the Olympics. I think it's amazing to keep this tradition going and we're playing the Olympic venue. So I really like it, and for sure, I'll tell him all about it. Hopefully next year, he's going to have more time to come."
Swiatek had also committed to play at last year's Korea Open but was forced to withdraw at the last minute due to her provisional suspension over a failed drug test.
Swiatek said her experiences stemming from the ban "were the toughest in my career."
"I'm happy that I'm past it, and I'm happy that I could resolve it quickly," said Swiatek, who returned after accepting a one-month suspension. "Missing the whole Asian swing wasn't the easiest because I thought that I could fight for being No. 1 at the end of the year. But missing such important tournaments after (the suspension), it was not really possible. I'm happy that I'm just going to learn from this experience. I'm happy to be here, for sure."
Swiatek is also a happy camper when she prepares for matches listening to some classic rock. She listed "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones, "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC and "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers as some of her favorite tracks.
"Honestly, my playlist is kind of the same throughout the whole year. I like to warm up to the same stuff," she said. "I know that it's going to really get my energy up and everything."
Swiatek then added with a smile: "Off the court, I like to listen to Ariana Grande. It's not only classic rock. I try to mix it up."