Iga Swiatek cruised past Rebecca Sramkova with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory, advancing to the 3rd round of the 2025 Australian Open. Her next challenge will be a match against Emma Raducanu, where she’ll be vying for a spot in the second week of the tournament.
During the post-match press conference, Swiatek discussed various topics, including the upcoming clash with Raducanu, which she views as a tougher test.
“It will definitely be a difficult match. She knows how to play tennis very well, we all know that. I’ll prepare as I do for any other match, with the help of Wim [Fissette], who will review our previous encounters. Her ranking doesn’t mean much, especially when we’re talking about players who’ve already competed at a high level in Grand Slams,” said the five-time Slam champion.
Swiatek, now 24, also admitted to making an error last year in her preparations, revealing a change she has made in her team.
“My old sparring partner, who I had always worked with, got injured, so I had to train with players from the tournaments. It wasn’t until this year that we realized we needed to bring in a dedicated partner, especially because I didn’t perform well here in the last two years. I should’ve made the switch last year, but now I have someone who hits with me and supports me in every competition. It was a mistake not to address this sooner.”
Swiatek then touched on the pressure of being a Grand Slam champion and what it’s like now not being the world No. 1.
“At the beginning of the year, there was a lot of pressure, but I didn’t think about it too much in 2024. If I play well, I know I’ll return to world No. 1. If I don’t and Aryna plays better, then she’ll stay at the top. At the Majors, I’ve realized people expect me to win, but it’s all about the hard work and focusing on many aspects off the court. In the end, whoever plays better will win. I’m trying to concentrate solely on my tennis,” Swiatek added.
