World No. 1 Iga Swiatek arrived to Stuttgart not sure how she would play in her first clay event since the 2021 French Open but it ended a perfect week for the Pole.
Swiatek, who won Doha, Indian Wells and Miami before coming to Stuttgart, lifted her fourth consecutive title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-2 in the Stuttgart final.
Swiatek has won her last 23 matches and she made a perfect start to the clay season.
After winning Sttutgart, Swiatek was a guest on the WTA Insider Podcast.
One of the first questions asked was about the doubts Swiatek admitted to having after arriving to Stuttgart.
Swiatek: It’s a tricky surface and I’m proud of myself
“Basically the last time I played on clay was a year ago, so I wasn’t sure how well I was going to transition and whether I could actually do it in two days. Before the first match I think I spent two hours on court. I always heard that this surface is tricky and it’s weird and different than any other. So that’s why I had most of my doubts, basically,” Swiatek said on the WTA Insider Podcast.
“I’m pretty proud of myself that during the tournament I was able to adjust and to learn, because before it wasn’t that easy. Right now I feel like during I can learn a lot so it’s just more peaceful at the beginning because I can trust my skills and my abilities a little bit more.”
Swiatek has been winning a lot over the last two months but she doesn’t feel like she is onĀ autopilot.
“Not really. Today it was a good day for me to be in the zone and be really focused, but yesterday I felt like I need to put more and more work in every game to stay focused. So yesterday I didn’t feel I was on autopilot because every day is different. You wake up and you can feel that. Many thoughts are running through your head and you know it’s going to be harder to stay focused,” Swiatek explained.