Iga Swiatek is through in the China Open after Camila Osorio retired after losing the first set 6-0.
Swiatek has been critical of the WTA schedule, with tournaments seemingly every single week in the modern era.
The Wimbledon champion arrived in China after losing in the quarterfinal of the US Open and Swiatek snapped at the media during her opening press conference in Asia.
Now, after beating Osorio, she has been a little friendlier with the media, discussing what she’s been working on with Wim Fissette ahead of the latest tournament on the calendar.
Iga Swiatek shares what is ‘key’ about her preparation
It’s been a great year for Swiatek who dropped down to number seven in the world rankings at one point amid some indifferent form.
However, she’s now the world number two, has already qualified for the WTA Finals and has won a Grand Slam during 2025.
In her press conference, she was quizzed on her preparations and delivered an intriguing verdict, identifying one key area that she works on with Fissette.
He said: “Well, I think we’re really taking it step by step because obviously when I came to Seoul, I was not practising a lot after this food thing, after the US Open. We just wanted to adjust to the new conditions and the much slower court.
“It doesn’t make sense to, like, set particular goals when you still feel like you just need to get in the zone, get in the game. So that was the goal in Seoul. Yeah, the tournament was about adjusting because then you needed to adjust to the weather, as well, and playing two matches in one day.
“We came here, as well, just with like two practice days to feel the court. I think I kind of know how to play on the slower surfaces. I think the footwork is the key, really use the right opportunities to go in and play more aggressively.
But yeah, I would say with the fact that you kind of are going from place to place, not really having a lot of time to practice, the goal is always just to adjust at the beginning. Maybe towards later parts of the tournament, you see what’s working or what’s not, and you can clearly say, I can play like this or that.
“Every place is different. As you know, we’re not sitting and saying, Oh, we should win this, this, this, this, because it’s not my style.”
Swiatek could go all the way at the China Open
The 24-year-old is in fine form as the year draws to a close, and she might not be finished yet when it comes to silverware.
Winning Wimbledon took Swiatek to six Grand Slam titles and offered a welcome return to the winner’s circle.
With Aryna Sabalenka taking a break to get herself completely ready for future events, Swiatek might be eyeing more silverware before the year is out.
In winning via a retirement from her opponent, she will be very fresh for her round of 16 match and that certainly makes her a danger to the rest of the field.
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