Iga Swiatek’s U.S. Open showcases both sides of the best women’s player in the world
NEW YORK — There are many things that Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1 and the queen of tennis the past two years, is very good at.
Not letting her stress and frustrations spill into her game? She would be the first one to admit that part is a work in progress. Life inside Swiatek’s head these days can feel like skidding across a knife’s edge at high speed.
On a day like the first Tuesday of the 2024 U.S. Open, it takes every ounce of will for her to stay upright. She committed 41 unforced errors in surviving a 6-4, 7-6(6) battle against Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia, who was 6-3 up in the second set tiebreak.
Little joy and no celebration greeted the win. Just a very hot, red face and too many thoughts about what had unfolded.
Two days later, on the same court, against a similarly overmatched opponent in Japan’s Ena Shibahara, Swiatek eased to one of her trademark bagel-and-breadstick combos, the kind of casual beatdown that has taken her to almost 120 weeks at the top of women’s tennis.
What gives?
In recent years, Swiatek has become more guarded about the inner workings of her mind. It is the part of the tennis player’s self that has never come naturally to her. Her brain is too active. She is not one of those souls blessed to exist without an inner monologue. She hears every word she thinks.
“Usually, I don’t feel well on court when I have too big expectations,” she said Thursday, explaining her shifting mindset for the two matches. “Because of that, I make wrong decisions on court. So I just try to reset and to remember that I don’t have to play perfect tennis all the time. It’s good if I make some mistakes, but I should just focus on improving, and that’s it.”
