Iga Swiatek is set to play her first match since lifting the Wimbledon trophy.
In early July, she ended her grass-court drought by defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final.
Now a six-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek has four French Open titles and a US Open crown in addition to her latest success.
The Polish star, recently named the best player of the century, is back on hard courts this week as she looks to keep her momentum going at the Canadian Open.
Before getting started in Montreal, Swiatek spoke about what her win at Wimbledon meant to her career. She said:
Swiatek downplays Wimbledon as a career turning point
Iga Swiatek addressed the impact of her recent Wimbledon victory during her pre-tournament press conference in Montreal, suggesting that, at this stage of her career, it doesn’t feel like a defining moment.
Swiatek said: “I think I’m too experienced to have like turning points you know because I already realised that, even when you win a Grand Slam, you just need to get back to work and, yeah, the hype is big, like, you can celebrate for a week, but then the season goes on, you know.
“So I would say for sure, I can take a lot from it in terms of like believing and also kind of not giving up because tennis can always surprise you if something positive if you work hard enough.
“So yeah I have these kind of lessons in my mind but I wouldn’t call it like a turning point you know. It’s just another experience that you use in the future.”
At the Canadian Open, Swiatek will play Hanyu Guo in the second round following Guo’s win over Yulia Puntiseva.
If she advances, Swiatek could face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next who beat Sonay Kartal at Wimbledon.
Iga Swiatek’s push to reclaim world number one
Swiatek has a real chance to close the gap on those ahead of her in the rankings, namely Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.
The Polish star missed the Canadian Open in 2024 due to fatigue, so any progress this week could bring a significant boost to her WTA points tally.
Sabalenka has pulled out of this year’s event, which means she’ll lose the points she earned from reaching the quarter-finals last year.
Gauff is in a slightly different position. She made it to the third round in 2024 before falling to Diana Shnaider, so there’s room for her to gain some ground as well.
If Gauff exits early again, Swiatek will have a clear path to take advantage and make up serious ground in the rankings race.
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