Notes on defending: Iga Swiatek opines on year of realizing things after US Open exit

TENNIS CHANNEL LIVE: Swiatek saw her US Open title defense end at the hands of Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round.

NEW YORK—Iga Swiatek is known as one of the sport’s preeminent thinkers, and the outgoing No. 1 made good on that reputation following her surprise exit from the 2023 US Open, opining at length on social media about the pressures she’s faced to defend her position.

“Last 1,5 year was a time of observing and experiencing how much people talk and write about ‘defending’, ‘defense’ - of titles, ranking position, points… I was surprised sometimes to start to think this way because of this,” opens the four-time major champion before adding, “But… I don’t need to defend anything and this is a good moment to write down some thoughts.

“For me sport is a cycle of constant changes exactly like in everyday life, we can either win or lose - that’s it, it’s so simple. New season, next tournament, new opportunities to GAIN, ACHIEVE, not defend something. Clean slate.”

Swiatek largely defended the bulk of what was a wildly successful 2022 season, winning four titles out of six titles, and taking home a second consecutive Roland Garros victory—making her the first to win back-to-back titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007.

Though she improved from her 2022 results at Wimbledon and the pre-US Open tournaments in Montréal and Cincinnati, the 22-year-old expressed frustration at fans for expecting perfection following a win at the Western & Southern Open, imploring the members of the media to convey her condemnation of hate comments towards both herself and her team.

Some of that frustration, which also stemmed from reaction to her appearance in the Break Point Netflix docuseries, clearly persists from what was posted on Wednesday, after her fourth-round exit from the US Open to Jelena Ostapenko.

“During this year’s U.S. swing I could win and achieve more, that’s for sure,” she writes. “I know some of you expected more, many of you expected ‘defending’ the no 1 ranking, the title.

“But I stick to my mindset: when I work hard, I’m developing myself and doing my job, I will create many more chances to WIN, to ACHIEVE my goals and not to defend. The way to do it is to constantly focus on my high standards in what I do and learn from the best in this sport and from my team.”

Swiatek closes with a thank-you to those who lent their positive support throughout her 75-week run at world No. 1, which will end on Monday with Aryna Sabalenka’s accession to the top of the WTA rankings.