Iga Swiatek feels confident ahead of Roland Garros title defense

Three-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek said she had to learn how to deal with the pressure of being world No 1 and not let the expectations weigh her down. The Polish tennis player is preparing to defend her French Open / Roland Garros title next month.

Iga Swiatek, 21, defeated Aryna Sabalenka by 2-0 (6:3, 6:4) at the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix In Stuttgart on Sunday for her second successful title defense this year after the one in Doha.

Asked how she’s handling her No 1 tanking, Iga Swiatek said she’s concentrating on her game.

“Last year was really, really tough and I felt like this season might be tough because of what people expect. I’m happy I got through it. That was probably the biggest thing I had to go through at the beginning of the year”, said the Polish tennis player

After crashing out in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January, Iga Swiatek said she was affected by the pressure and that she went into matches hoping not to lose, rather than wanting to win.

“Now I feel like I can just use my experience a bit more than worry about things. I’m just happy to be No. 1 in the world for over a year and that’s exciting”, added she.

The French Open / Roland Garros will be held from May 28 to June 11.