World No.1 Iga Swiatek hopes to meet up with Ash Barty this week to inform the retired tennis champion what an inspiration she has been in her personal journey to the highest.
The 21-year-old Polish star famously mentioned in April she cried for 40 minutes after former world No.1 Barty introduced her retirement in March on the age of 25, simply two months after profitable the Australian Open.
“When Ash retired, I felt mixed emotions because I felt like she still had the best tennis out there,” Swiatek mentioned in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“Maybe this week we are going to be able to meet and I’m going to say it straight to her.
“She actually impressed me to work tougher and her completely different game-style made me realise that there’s at all times room for enchancment.”
Swiatek, speaking ahead of the United Cup teams event, said she was “tremendous proud” of herself for taking over the mantle as No.1.
Barty’s retirement may have eased the way, but this year Swiatek has won the French Open for the second time and triumphed at the US Open, proving she deserved the ranking.
“At first I felt like I wasn’t certain if that is form of my place to be,” she mentioned.
“Ash appeared like an enormous function mannequin for everyone by way of her behaviour on courtroom but additionally off courtroom. She actually set the bar fairly excessive, so I want to point out it to folks, but additionally present it to myself, that I’m in the fitting place.
“I feel like a huge satisfaction, because I have been working my whole life to get to this point. I didn’t really think it’s possible for me.”
Getting to the highest is difficult sufficient however Swiatek mentioned staying there would require her to set new benchmarks and never dwell on what she had achieved when 2023 rolls round.
“I’m going to try to kind of cut off everything that happened (in the) last year and just focus on the future,” she mentioned.
“For sure all these press conferences are going to kind of remind me of everything, but my goal is to…try to improve as a tennis player.”
Swiatek and the Poland workforce will contest the inaugural United Cup, which begins on Thursday. Poland have to attend till Saturday for his or her first hit out in opposition to Kazakhstan.
“I’m pretty excited that even when I had such a nice season, this year I can do some different stuff and participate in events like that,” Swiatek mentioned.
