World number one
Iga Swiatek has opened up about how she had difficulty wearing a ribbon to support Ukraine.
The 22-year-old was one of the most
notable stars who showcased their support for Ukraine during Wimbledon 2022
after their conflict began with Russia in February. Swiatek was recently quoted
in a report where she expressed difficulties after showing solidarity with the
war-affected country.
“Recently there has been a lot of
hate and a lot of comments that simply judged me,” she said. “People were even
saying that I am not Polish. I think it started to generate more negative
emotions than positive reactions and we decided that the ribbon wasn't the best
idea anymore.
“I think if I hadn't let go of the
expectations in a way and if I hadn't coped so well with the pressure at the
end of the season, none of this would have happened. After the US Open, there
was a time when I had to change my attitude so I could continue to develop well
as a player, focus well on training and also be more free and relaxed during
matches.”
“This year was different because I
had two injuries that were serious and could have kept me out for a longer time
if we had handled them poorly and managed everything worse. There were a lot of
ups and downs when it comes to my form, and the rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka
became very intense.
“I'm leaving at the beginning of
next week, so these are the last days in Warsaw. The training sessions are
definitely hard, and today I had one of the hardest ones. And in Abu Dhabi
training will be even more intense, but there will be more time to rest as well
and fewer responsibilities off the court. I think this preparation period is
perfectly arranged so that I could feel good in those conditions in Australia
after two weeks of playing in temperatures over 25 degrees.”