Iga Swiatek explains how she feels about being put on John Cain rather than the Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open

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Iga Swiatek has began her 2025 Australian Open campaign with a straight sets victory over Katerina Siniakova.

Swiatek is beginning the season without the world number one ranking for the first time in three years, after Aryna Sabalenka dethroned her at the end of the 2024 season.

The Pole has also faced an off-court battle in recent months, with Swiatek accepting a one month doping suspension after a small dose of the banned substance trimetazidine was found in her system back in August.

Despite failing the anti-doping test, she was found to have no fault or negligence on the grounds of contamination and even rival Coco Gauff does not believe that Swiatek intentionally doped.

Iga Swiatek reacts to playing on John Cain Arena in first round Australian Open match

Swiatek’s, 6-3 6-4, victory over doubles world number one Siniakova took place on the third biggest court at the Australian Open, the John Cain Arena.

Although the John Cain Arena is still one of the larger courts in Melbourne, it is the first time that Swiatek has been scheduled on an Australian Open court that is not the Rod Laver Arena or Margaret Court Arena since 2022.

This was something that Swiatek was asked about in her post-match press conference, with the 23-year-old seemingly unaware of this statistic.

“I didn’t know that I haven’t played on a smaller court for three years,” said Swiatek. “But I don’t mind. Honestly, I love playing here on every stadium.

“On John Cain I played some amazing matches. I remember with [Anett] Kontaveit, we played fourth round. That was my first chance to go on to the quarters on hard courts.

“Also some nice tournaments, nice matches. Yeah, I don’t mind. I like this court. I think the only thing is that the surface might be different on different courts. Next time I’ll play on a different court, I need to just feel it and focus on that a little bit more.”

Who will Swiatek play next at the Australian Open?

While it is currently unclear what court Swiatek will be on for her second round match, we do know that her opponent will be Rebecca Sramkova in a first-time meeting between the pair.

Further down the line Swiatek could face the likes of Emma Raducanu, Emma Navarro, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina.

Swiatek’s most recent loss came against Gauff, but that matchup cannot happen at the Australian Open unless both players reach their first final in Melbourne.

Before she can think about that, Swiatek will focus on her second round matchup against the aforementioned Sramkova that will take place on Thursday January 16.