Iga Swiatek captured her first title victory under new coach Francisco Roig at the Canadian Open, but her attention has already turned towards the Cincinnati Open.
The Pole defeated Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final after a terrific campaign which included victories against Elina Svitolina, Diana Shnaider, and Marta Kostyuk.
The star has already arrived the Cincinnati Open, less than a day after lifting the title, and she has addressed the quick turnaround in her first press conference at the Masters event.
“It’s fast, my last press conference was less than 12 hours ago,” she said, before suggesting she has already looked past her Canadian Open win.
More Iga Swiatek news
“Actually, it’s only after Grand Slams that you can really enjoy it, because generally everyone takes a break after,” said the current world No 9.
“Here, it’s crazy. It’s not even 24 hours since I won a tournament and I’m in another country talking to you, preparing for another tournament. I had time to reset everything and find freshness, try new things.”
Swiatek was dumped out of the fourth round of Wimbledon prior to her Canadian Open triumph, and she believes the time off allowed her to win the Masters event.
“We had two good weeks of work before arriving in Toronto and that was the key to the final result,” she said. “I found patience in my game and it paid off.”
Asked how she will find the balance at the Cincinnati Open, she responded: “We’ll see. There’s no instruction manual to follow. I rely on my team, they know what’s best for me. But it’s certain that in the coming days, I will prioritize recovery. And I won’t pick up the racket until tomorrow (Saturday). But we’ll go day by day.
Swiatek hit back at the negativity surrounding her after winning the Canadian Open and she doubled down on those comments at the Cincinnati Open.
“I don’t intend to let them destabilise me and define who I am,” she revealed, when asked about her words in her championship speech. “That’s the world we live in today, but it shouldn’t be like that.
“So in Toronto, I took the opportunity to talk about it. And if it could help even one person who feels harassed, or a young athlete, then so much the better.”
Swiatek won the Cincinnati Open last season, so she is defending the full 1000 points at the Masters event. As a result, she could drop out of the WTA Tour top 10 with a disappointing run at the North American tournament.
