Iga Swiatek has continued her pursuit of completing the career Grand Slam by reaching the third round of the Australian Open.
Swiatek has already won the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, and like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz needs just one more major to complete the feat.
And she is into the third round of the Australian Open without dropping a set so far, having just beaten Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-3.
But Swiatek isn’t 100% satisfied at this moment in time despite her current run and indeed fantastic career history.
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Iga Swiatek agrees with Taylor Fritz’s views on the tennis schedule
ATP star Taylor Fritz thinks the season is too long, with the shorter off-season resulting in players not feeling fully fresh for the new campaign.
She was reminded of Fritz’s comments when asked how she feels physically after her latest win in Melbourne.
Swiatek replied: “No, physically I feel good. But for sure the schedule is packed. There’s not much time to reset completely. It’s kind of impossible.
“So, it feels like there’s no beginning of the season and end of the season because honestly, like for people that work physically for 11 months basically, getting 10 days without the racket, it’s not enough time to reset.
“I mean, that’s what I got. Because for four days you’re still thinking about the season. Last days you already think about the preparation for the next one.
“So, for sure, he’s right that the schedule is packed and the season is longer and longer. But I guess everybody knows that already.”
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Iga Swiatek trying to find a balance amid celebrity status
Swiatek has been critical about the tennis calendar in the past, and she certainly hasn’t been the only one across both the WTA and ATP tours.
And even during her very limited time off, the Pole struggles to fully switch off, explaining: “Well, the thing is that when you’re playing well, you also have a lot of stuff to do off the court.
“It’s not like you’re just a tennis player. If you’re going to play tennis well, you are going to be kind of a celebrity.
“You know, bigger or smaller, you can choose that. But there’s a lot of stuff to do, as well. It’s not like we finish the tournament and that’s it.
“So I guess you need to find balance with that, as well, because you also want to be fulfilled in that part of your career. Then obviously find, yeah, proper time to rest and have good time off.
“For example, sometimes when I come back to Warsaw, it’s not like I have a break after the tournament because I have so much stuff to do that I just don’t do during the tournaments that I really need to catch up.
“Yeah, but, I guess, this is what you need to do. You’re good to succeed at this level. It’s not easy but it’s necessary.”
It’s certainly not a straightforward journey for Swiatek, who has gained stardom thanks to her efforts on the court.
She is already a six-time Grand Slam champion at the age of just 24, and has previously managed to reach number one in the world rankings.
Now world number two, the Pole will continue her quest for Australian Open glory against Anna Kalinskaya.
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