Iga Swiatek is returning to action for the first time following her triumph at Wimbledon.
Swiatek broke her grass-court duck in early July, defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the Wimbledon final.
The 24-year-old now has six Grand Slam titles to her name, after winning four French Open crowns and one US Open.
The Polish star, who was recently named the best player this century, has returned to the hard courts this week, set on continuing her impressive form at the Canadian Open.
Ahead of her first match at the tournament, Swiatek described her thoughts and feelings regarding the importance of her Wimbledon triumph.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesIga Swiatek is ‘too experienced’ to have turning points
While speaking at her pre-tournament press conference in Montreal, Canada, Swiatek was asked to consider how much of a turning point her Wimbledon victory was in the grand scheme of her career.
Swiatek replied: “I think I’m too experienced to have like turning points you know because I already realised that, even when you win a Grand Slam, you just need to get back to work and, yeah, the hype is big, like, you can celebrate for a week, but then the season goes on, you know.
“So I would say for sure, I can take a lot from it in terms of like believing and also kind of not giving up because tennis can always surprise you if something positive, if you work hard enough.
“So, yeah, I have these kind of lessons in my mind, but I wouldn’t call it like a turning point, you know. It’s just another experience that you use in the future.”
At the Canadian Open, Swiatek is set to face Hanyu Guo in the second round, after the Chinese player defeated Yulia Puntiseva.
If she comes through that contest, Swiatek could set up a meeting with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who defeated Sonay Kartal at Wimbledon.
Iga Swiatek’s late run for world number one
Swiatek has a huge opportunity to chase down those above her in the rankings: Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.
The Pole did not compete at the Canadian Open in 2024 due to fatigue, meaning she will be able to gain a significant number of WTA points if she goes far at this week’s event.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the 2025 event, meaning she will lose the points gained from reaching the quarter-final stage in 2024.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Coco Gauff is in a similar, but not quite as precarious, situation. The American reached the third round at the 2024 Canadian Open, losing to Diana Shnaider.
Therefore, Gauff will likely have an opportunity to gain ground on Sabalenka. However, if she suffers another early shock in Canada, Iga Swiatek will have the opportunity to capitalise.