By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday December 30, 2023
Iga Swiatek is feeling confident after a long off-season that allowed her to decompress and prepare for a long haul in 2024.
Photo Source: Getty
We haven’t yet turned the page on the 2023 calendar but the 2024 tennis season is already underway in Australia. It may come too soon for some players, but it’s just fine for WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek, who has been off since winning her maiden WTA Finals title at Cancun two months ago.
Swiatek, who breezed past Brazils’ Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday at United Cup in her season opener, says she is ready for the grind of the 2024 season, thanks to a long, productive off-season.
“I was feeling pretty relaxed,” she said of her win over the 11th-ranked southpaw. “I think the way we did this pre-season with more peace and more time actually for me to reset and sometimes even have a couple of days off between the training blocks, I think it just gave me a lot of peace.”
Swiatek made the decision to skip the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last November in order to decompress and take some time to relax after putting in back-to-back 60-win seasons on tour.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has prioritized mental health and balance in her approach to the sport, and the fact that she had two months to enjoy herself away from the rigors of the tour could be something that puts wind in her sails this month in Australia, where she will bid for her first title at the Australian Open.
“I was really focused during this pre-season,” Swiatek said. “I hope I'm going to be more relaxed on court because of that at the beginning of the season.”
The 22-year-old, who went 68-11 on tour in 2023, has won 135 matches since the start of 2022, and lost just 20. She has claimed three Grand Slam titles in that span and won 14 of her 17 career titles.
If anyone needed – and deserved – a prolonged rest over the last two months, it was her.
Poland defeated Brazil 3-0, thanks to Hubert Hurkacz’s 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 win over Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Swiatek and Hurkacz completed the sweep with a victory over Marcelo Melo and Haddad Maia.
Germany Prevails Over Italy, Kerber Returns
Elsewhere at United Cup, Germany prevailed over Italy 2-1, as Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber secured the mixed doubles victory over Lorenzo Sonego and Angelica Moratelli.
Kerber, playing her first tennis on tour since 2022 Wimbledon after giving birth to daughter Liana in February of 2023, lost to Jasmine Paolini, 6-4, 7-5.
“Playing my first match after 18 months, it was really special, really intense,” 35-year-old Kerber said. “Also, a close match. I think I already played on a really high level against her, but of course I think there are still missing a few things, but that's why I'm here, that's why I am looking forward to have more matches.”
Other results from Saturday at United Cup:
China 3, Czech Republic 0
Netherlands 2, Norway 1