Iga Swiatek started her Australian Open stint with a bang. She stepped up to Sofia Kenin and ended the match with not much difficulty. After the match, Swiatek was interviewed to talk about her win and shared how her idol inspired her to win. As Swiatek praised Ashleigh Barty, she also talked about how she wants to meet her and her son soon.
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Swiatek would continue her praise of Barty and said that she owes Barty for pushing her to the top. As she is in Australia, the home country of Barty, the WTA number 1 wants to refresh her memories of playing against her.
Iga Swiatek hopes to meet her idol
When Ashleigh Barty retired, Iga Swiatek was taken by shock. Barty hung up the racket when she was 26 years old and Swiatek took her spot as number 1. Now continuing her career, Swiatek is in Melbourne and shared her wish to meet Barty soon. She shared her wishes in the post-match interview after beating Kenin 7-6, 6-2.
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Iga Swiatek says she hopes to meet Ash Barty’s baby & she was a huge inspiration for her:
“I’m hoping to see her soon & I’m hoping to see the baby. Ash changed my mindset going into 2022. That was a breakthrough for me. I was too 10 but feeling like she had such great tennis..… pic.twitter.com/SiC6Pr92Ud
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 16, 2024
“I’m hoping to see her soon & I’m hoping to see the baby. Ash changed my mindset going into 2022. That was a breakthrough for me. I was too 10 but feeling like she had such great tennis.. even though I knew what she was gonna play, it was still tough to play her & win points. She motivated me. It’s not the only reason, but I felt like it’s 1 of the reasons I later became world #1.”
Swiatek also called Barty one of the biggest reasons she learned new skills to keep her top spot.
Barty was a ‘huge inspiration’ for Swiatek
Swiatek further said that she developed a good variety of shots because she wanted to be able to give Barty a challenge. “I felt I have more variety. I started practicing this kind of stuff just to be able to play against her, hitting back slices & everything. I’m really grateful for her. I don’t know if I’d be world #1 if she was still playing. She was a huge inspiration.”
Unfortunately, Swiatek would not encounter Barty many times. However, the new skills she has learned have helped her dominate several other players on tour. She continues to be one of the most fearful WTA players at the moment and is aiming to create new records in the sport. How will she fare in the future?
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Edited by
Ananya Giri