SWIATEK OUT OF THE US OPEN 🕳️ Big shock this night in New-York with the defending champion being stunned by Jelena Ostapenko 3-6 6-3 6-1 Iga will also lose her World No.1 crown
Swiatek: I don't like playing with Ostapenko. There are simply some players who are uncomfortable to play with
Tennis NewsThursday, 21 September 2023 at 22:56
Iga Swiatek has revealed that she does not enjoy playing against Jelena Ostapenko.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek has opened up on Ostapenko's perfect record against her. The Latvian pulled off an incredible feat at the recent US Open where the players faced each other in the fourth round.
Swiatek was the defending champion but found herself making an early exit at this year's New York major. Ostapenko came back from a set down to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. The big hitter then went on to the quarter-finals where she lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff.
Swiatek: Ostapenko's style of play is 'uncomfortable'
This was not the first time that Ostapenko had defeated the former World No. 1, as she currently leads their head-to-head 4-0, with her first two victories against the Polish player being achieved in straight sets.
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Swiatek mentioned Ostapenko's lead, saying that she struggles against the Latvian and does not like having to face her. She also pointed out that the opposite is probably the case for her opponent.
"I don't like playing with Ostapenko. There are simply some players who are uncomfortable to play with. I bet she has the opposite situation and she especially likes my style," she said.
However, Swiatek also stressed that she was not upset about trailing in the head-to-head as it is a natural part of the sport.
"This is completely natural in tennis. There is no point in falling into a catastrophe, we have to move forward," she continued.
The World No. 2's defeat to Ostapenko at Flushing Meadows also saw her lose the top spot in the WTA Ranking, which she had held for an impressive 75 weeks, the tenth-longest amount of time in history. After being usurped by Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek took to social media to talk about how the notion of 'defending' things is not the most important aspect of tennis to her.
"Last 1.5 year was a time of observing and experiencing how much people talk and write about “defending”, “defense” - of titles, ranking position, points… I was surprised sometimes to start to think this way because of this. But… I don’t need to defend anything," she wrote.
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