Iga’s Game: Cincinnati Open Offers No. 1 Swiatek Much-needed Reset

By Richard Osborn

A trip to the American Midwest might be just what the doctor ordered for world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

It’s been a hectic year for the Polish superstar, who owns a tour-best five titles in 2024. The baseliner captured trophies in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid (saving three championship points against rival Aryna Sabalenka), Rome and Roland Garros (her third straight). Earlier this month, she took the bronze medal at the Paris Games. For the 23-year-old Swiatek, in that brief window between the Olympics and the US Open, the Cincinnati Open presents an opportunity to regroup, to relaunch.

“For sure. And I love that. I needed that,” she told the gathered media on Sunday. “After the Olympics, I felt like I needed to reset, to focus on getting my technique back together, just grinding on court. Here is the perfect place to do it. It feels less crazy. But the first tournament on a hard court isn’t going to be easy. I’m going to try to treat it as a practice tournament — not in a way that I don’t care, but more in a way that I can implement all the stuff I’ve practiced. I think that’s the best approach for me.”

“Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports,” she added. “There are sports that are really tough because, physically, you might get beat up. But most sports have four months off, sometimes even six. Our schedule is crazy, and it’s getting more crazy every year, which is scary. You just have to train wisely.”

Not surprisingly, the Olympics proved an emotional experience for Swiatek, whose father was a rower in the ’88 Seoul Olympics. She had her designs on the gold medal, of course, playing in the same venue where she’s won four major singles titles. But after a 6-2, 7-5 semifinal defeat at the hands of eventual champ Zheng Qinwen of China, she had to settle for bronze. There were plenty of tears in the aftermath, but Swiatek, ever the thinker, has since put it all in perspective.

“It was pretty stressful,” she said. “It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy I could leave Paris with a medal and a lot of knowledge about myself. The most important thing for me was to learn from the experience. I was proud of myself. I was happy that I could deal with all the pressure and still get a medal.”

Was the Pole surprised by how emotional the experience was?

“No, because I am emotional.”

A semifinalist here in 2023 (l. to Coco Gauff, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4), Swiatek is determined to ramp up her game on cement. It’s not as if she hasn’t had success on the surface before: She did win the US Open in 2022.

“It gives you a lot of motivation,” she said. “I’m trying to be a better player on faster courts. Doing everything step by step has always worked for me, so I’m going to try to repeat that attitude again.”