Iga Swiatek couldn't sleep during French Open title defense back in 2021: "Was very difficult emotionally"

WTA
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 at 07:00
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Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek has opened up about her mindset during her title defense at the 2021 French Open, revealing she as so overwhelmed that she couldn't sleep during the tournament.

Swiatek was seeded eighth at the event, and was the favorite to lift the Roland Garros trophy after her dominant 2020 title run. However, her dreams were halted by Greek star Maria Sakkari, who recorded a 6-4 6-4 win over the Pole in the quarterfinals.

The expectations weighed heavily on her shoulders, according to Swiatek

In an interview at the Miami Open, Swiatek spoke on the moments when she felt overwhelmed during her career. The World No.1 highlighted her first title defense at Roland Garros, stating she was unable to sleep on some nights due to the expectations as the favorite and defending champion.

"At Roland Garros 2021, I arrived as the reigning champion, a Grand Slam tournament where I really did not expect to achieve something so important. It wasn’t easy at all,” explained the 22-year old. “I remember I couldn’t even sleep. Now I have solutions to solve this kind of problem. This tournament was very difficult emotionally. I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

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