World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has been unstoppable over the last few months, winning 23 matches in a row and securing her fourht straight title at the Stuttgart Open. She is shaping up as the strong favourite for the French Open but says she is focusing on the present and trying not to look too far ahead. Swiatek is set to play the Madrid Open this week.
Iga Swiatek says her approach to tennis is giving her the “greatest freedom” after she continued her stunning run of form by winning the Stuttgart Open.
World No. 1 Swiatek secured her fourth title in a row by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Germany.
Swiatek has now won 23 matches in a row and has won her last seven finals without dropping a set.
She will be the undoubted favourite for the French Open next month, but is trying to stay in the present with WTA 1000 events coming up in Madrid and Rome.
“Every time the clay season starts you can still see Paris on the horizon, but I try to approach each game with a clean sheet and focus only on the next step, because it gives me a lot,” she told Eurosport.
“I saw this season that it’s just easier for me to live this way. Certainly when it comes to tennis and physical preparations the coaches are preparing the top form for Paris, but I have the same mental approach to each game and it gives me the greatest freedom.”
Swiatek has emerged as the dominant force on the WTA Tour this year.
She won titles in Qatar and Indian Wells before also winning the Miami Open and replacing Ashleigh Barty as world No.1 following her retirement.
The switch to clay has not proved an obstacle for Swiatek, who only dropped one set in Stuttgart before comfortably dispatching Sabalenka in the final.
“I approach the final just like any other match,” she said.
“I try to use the experienced I gained this season in which I played a lot of finals. Some of them were more stressful, like today. For others I decided that I would play better if I approach this match as I would any other match.
“Every hour spent on the court gave me a lot, so with time I felt more comfortable on this surface. The final match, analysed in terms of purely tennis, was my most solid performance.”
Swiatek is next set to play in the Madrid Open, which starts on April 28.
