"I was more stressed than on other tournaments": Iga Swiatek admits natural game wasn't there in Noskova defeat, earliest World No.1 to fall in 45 years

Iga Swiatek admitted feeling more stressed than usual at the 2024 Australian Open after her defeat to Linda Noskova. In the tournament's third round, Swiatek fell despite winning the first set, with a final score of 6-3, 3-6, 4-6.

This marks only the third time in her last 16 Grand Slam appearances that she failed to reach the fourth round, delivering the world No. 1 her first disappointment of the year after a streak of 17 consecutive victories. Swiatek acknowledged the mental challenges she faced at the Aussie Open, saying, "For sure I was more stressed than on other tournaments, especially first two rounds."

She also expressed regret that, despite maintaining her usual high off-court intensity, certain aspects didn't work as effectively as before in this tournament: "I think some things just didn't work as they did before, even though I was working the same way. I feel like I did really everything I could in pre-season to improve some stuff that I wanted to," she added.

“Then I came here and I wasn't playing kind of natural anymore. I don't know, like my split step was too late sometimes. Reaction a little bit slower. Some other things,” the 4-times Grand Slam champion added. “Basically, I was trying just to improve that. That was the only thing I kind of focused on. That's why it (my play) wasn't so natural as usually,” Iga Swiatek concluded.

In the round of 16, the top half of the draw witnessed the exits of the main favorites, Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, who was eliminated in the second round. Other top-seeded players in this section, including Marketa Vondrousova (No. 7) and Jessica Pegula, have also been eliminated from the competition.

The leading contenders remaining in Swiatek's draw are now Qinwne Zheng (No. 12), Victoria Azarenka (No. 18) and Elina Svitolina (No. 19). This presents a significant opportunity for these players to advance deep into the tournament, and potentially to the final, with no top-10 opponents in sight at least until the championship match.

On the other side, the two top-seeded players, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, remain, and they could face each other in a potential semi-final. Even if either of them becomes the champion, they do not pose a threat to Swiatek's world No. 1 position, as she maintains a good points advantage over the players trailing behind her.