The Japan Times - Swiatek glad for high expectations ahead of Madrid title defence

The world number two is the most successful clay-court player of her generation and has won the French Open four times.

By her stratospheric standards, Swiatek is having a sub-par season but she has the chance to turn her year around at the Madrid Open, where she is defending her title this fortnight.

"It's crazy, but people are not aware when they think about other people that we're also human. The expectations for sure are high, but they're high every year for me since 2022," Swiatek said on Wednesday at the Caja Magica.

"I'm just trying to keep my job and not really focus on what people say. Honestly, they have no idea what's going on in any of our lives, so if they think some things, they can just think, but it's not necessarily the truth.

"But for sure I'm grateful that they have high hopes."

The 23-year-old Pole kicked off her clay season with a quarter-final appearance in Stuttgart last week, where she lost to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko for the sixth time in six meetings with the Latvian.

While she is feeling good in practice, Swiatek is still waiting for confirmation she can hit her peak level on her preferred surface.

"It's nice to have these first days and first week of just grinding and practising," she added.

"I love that, especially on clay, because tennis for me it's the most logical there, and also you can be more creative in terms of the tactics and everything."

The first test for the second seed in Madrid comes in the form of Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala, who shocked Swiatek en route to a historic semi-final run at the Miami Open last month.

"I feel like I know this place pretty well, so I'm going to use the experience, but the experience doesn't play, so I got to approach this match as any other match, doesn't really matter what happened in Miami," said Swiatek of her upcoming clash.

- Sabalenka talks up clay prospects -

Meanwhile, world number one Aryna Sabalenka believes she will have "big chances" to perform well on clay this season, should she recapture the level she showed during last year's Madrid final against Swiatek.

The Belarusian squandered three match points in a heartbreaking defeat by Swiatek in the Spanish capital 12 months ago, in what was a high-quality clash that earned WTA Match of the Year honours at the end of the season.

Targeting a third Madrid crown, Sabalenka reflects fondly on her final against Swiatek, despite coming agonisingly close to victory before falling just short.

"That match was a blockbuster, and I really enjoyed playing, it was very intense, very long. If I can play like that in every match on clay, I think I have big chances to perform well on the clay-court season this year," Sabalenka said on Wednesday.

Sabalenka arrives in Madrid on the back of a runner-up showing in Stuttgart, where she fell in the final to Ostapenko.

The 26-year-old, who won the 2024 US and Australian Opens, is still waiting for her first title on clay since her 2023 Madrid triumph.

The top seed will open her campaign against Anna Blinkova in round two.

First-round action in Madrid on Wednesday saw a returning Petra Kvitova squander a 4-1 double-break lead en route to a 6-4, 6-0 defeat by American Katie Volynets.

Kvitova came back from a 17-month maternity leave two months ago and was contesting her first clay-court match in two years.

Britain's Emma Raducanu won her first outdoor clay-court match since 2022 by beating Suzan Lamens 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

"Honestly I don't feel like I'm that used to it," said Raducanu of her lack of clay-court experience.

"I think it does feel completely new to me and I think I'm okay with accepting that and I'm okay with knowing that it is a surface that can be great for me. But for the moment it's not one that I feel incredibly amazing and confident on."

Y.Ishikawa--JT