Iga Swiatek has revealed how she is feeling ahead of her Wimbledon title defence.
Swiatek won Wimbledon for the first time last year after a dominant final victory over Amanda Anisimova, where she did not lose a single game.
The world number three is not coming into this year’s Wimbledon in the same form, with Swiatek losing to Emma Navarro in her only match of the grass court season so far.
As she looks to rediscover the form that led her to her sixth Grand Slam title last year, Swiatek has lowered expectations ahead of her Wimbledon title defence.
Iga Swiatek explains why defending the Wimbledon title feels different to other Grand Slams
Swiatek became the eighth consecutive new Wimbledon champion in as many years in the women’s singles draw last year.
In her pre-tournament press conference, Swiatek was asked why she thinks it has been difficult for players to repeat their Wimbledon victories and how she intends to defend the title.
“That’s a tough question. I have no idea. Everybody’s story is different,” said Swiatek. “Why? It’s hard to say. For sure it’s a tournament that creates maybe different challenges when you come back as the defending champion because of the whole thing that is happening around it.
“I think there were players that won this tournament that already have won many tournaments and Grand Slams. Why particularly it’s hard to repeat that, I have no idea. I can’t answer that question. Sorry.”
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Swiatek was asked an additional question regarding her Wimbledon title defence later on in the press conference, questioning how it felt different to her being a defending champion at Roland Garros and the US Open.
The Pole responded by admitting that she is keeping her expectations low, with Swiatek explaining that she is still figuring things out on grass.
“I feel like people talk about it more,” Swiatek said about being a defending Wimbledon champion. “I think the whole vibe of becoming a member is something that you are not going to experience on other tournaments. Maybe that’s why it feels a bit different.
“Honestly, I’m going to look at it in a realistic way. Obviously, yeah, last year’s grass season was great. But it’s not like I always felt amazing on grass, so…
“Even though I won, I still feel like I have stuff to figure out. Like this year even, the Bad Homburg tournament didn’t really get me that nice rhythm that I had last year. I feel like I’m starting from a totally different position and I’m really in a place that I’m keeping my expectations low.
“Even though everybody is talking about this, I feel like I need to play matches and I need to just — it’s not going to be smooth because of last year.
“That’s why I try to kind of not think about that too much, but more like be grateful about the experience and enjoy it because, as I said, my dream came true. It’s also good to take some happiness from that and be proud of it.”
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Who is the last woman to defend the Wimbledon singles title?
Swiatek will be hoping to achieve something that has not been done at Wimbledon since 2016, with Serena Williams being the last woman to defend a singles title at the grass court major.
Williams defended the Wimbledon title three times in her career, and is one of only five women to do so in the Open Era.
The four other women to have defended their Wimbledon title in the Open Era are Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Venus Williams.
This includes Navratilova winning six consecutive Wimbledon titles between 1982 and 1987.
| Women who have defended the Wimbledon singles title in the Open Era | Years they defended the Wimbledon title |
| Billie Jean King | 1966-1968 (Last title in the Open Era), 1972-1973 |
| Martina Navratilova | 1978-1979, 1982-1987 |
| Steffi Graf | 1988-1989, 1991-1993, 1995-1996 |
| Venus Williams | 2000-2001, 2007-2008 |
| Serena Williams | 2002-2003, 2009-2010, 2015-2016 |
Swiatek will be hoping to join this exclusive list at Wimbledon this year, where she is playing Taylor Townsend in the first round.
As the defending champion for the women’s singles draw at Wimbledon, Swiatek will fulfil the tradition of opening Centre Court on day two of The Championships on Tuesday, June 30.
