"I don't think it makes sense to even think about the final already" - Iga Swiatek shuts down predictions that she will breeze to the final in Korea

Iga Swiatek will make her debut at the upcoming Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea. Despite her recent form and ominous presence on court, she is not looking too far ahead in the tournament, focusing on making it through the early stages.

Swiatek started the season slowly by her extremely lofty standards. She was defeated in the Australian Open and Roland Garros semi-finals, with her clay form failing her as she failed to reach a single final in the opening six months of 2025.

This actually came on grass at Bad Homburg, losing out to American number two Jessica Pegula. She went into Wimbledon as the number eight seed, but managed to win the title in commanding fashion. She dropped just one set throughout the event, and whitewashed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final to seal her first Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam title. She added to her decorated catalogue after winning in Cincinnati for the maiden time, but was denied in the US Open semi-final by Anisimova, who got her revenge on home soil.

The Pole heads into the Korea Open as the overwhelming favourite after her recent triumphs, hunting Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings. A win here would do no harm, but the world number two is not playing down the quality of her opponents.

"I don't think it makes sense to even think about the final already, and any girl can win this tournament," Swiatek 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.

"I haven't been practicing a lot because I needed time to recover and to do everything to just be ready to play matches. 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."

This was supposed to be her second time in Korea, but she was unable to participate at the 500 event after she experienced a provisional suspension from the sport after failing a drug test. She revealed that it was a tough pill to swallow, but will learn from those previous experiences.

"I'm happy that I'm past it, and I'm happy that I could resolve it quickly. 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 will be hoping to add her name to the family roll of honour in Seoul after her father, Tomasz, represented Poland in the men's quadruple sculls event at the 1988 Olympics, finishing seventh in the rowing event. Swiatek will be hoping to one-up her dad, and was hoping for him to return to South Korea, but unfortunately their schedules did not align.

"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."

She also disclosed her music selection ahead of the tournament, boasting a wide variety of genres on and off the court to get her prepared and zoned in.

"Honestly, my playlist is kind of the same throughout the whole year," she said. "I like to warm up to the same stuff. I know that it's going to really get my energy up and everything. Off the court, I like to listen to Ariana Grande. It's not only classic rock. I try to mix it up."