Swiatek plays down favorite status ahead of US Open

Iga Swiatek insisted Saturday she does not see herself as favorite for the US Open despite an impressive run of recent form that has left her as the player to beat according to oddsmakers.

The 24-year-old Polish second seed arrived in New York fresh from capturing her first Cincinnati Open title, which came just weeks after a breakthrough victory at Wimbledon in July.

Swiatek, though, played down suggestions that her recent wins meant she was the favorite to capture her second US Open title and what would be the seventh Grand Slam win of her career.

“Honestly, I think it doesn’t make sense to call anyone the favorite,” the 2022 US Open champion said Saturday. 

“Women’s tennis, I wouldn’t say it’s unpredictable because there are some girls that are constantly in the top and we are proving that we can play well throughout the whole season. But there are many players that play really good and can win the tournament.”

Swiatek added though that she is comfortable dealing with the burden of expectation.

“I got used to the expectations,” she said. “Obviously after winning so many things, they are always going to be there.”

Swiatek’s victories at Wimbledon and Cincinnati suggested that the former world number one is becoming a more consistent threat on faster surfaces after being regarded as a clay-court specialist earlier in her career.

Swiatek said Saturday that adapting to faster surfaces had been the focus of her preseason preparations with new coach Wim Fissette, who she hired in October last year.

“We really focused on that,” Swiatek revealed. “The whole preseason was basically all about that. 

“I would say after Roland Garros I kind of got back to my usual self. The process of learning all this stuff that I learned in preseason kind of came back, and for sure I used it on Wimbledon and on hard court in Cincinnati. 

“We’ll see what’s going to come next.”

Swiatek opens her US Open campaign on Monday against Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.