Iga Swiatek opens this Monday (18 Spanish peninsular time) at the US Open 2023tournament where he reached number 1 in the world and is the current champion.
The Pole arrives as one of the top favorites for the title, though he himself wants to take the pressure off. “I can tell my gas tank is pretty empty.. Honestly, I won’t regret it too much because I’m happy that I have a day off today,” she said after being eliminated in the semifinals of the Cincinnati tournament.
Well, those words don’t seem to fit Martina Navratilova very well. The legendary former world number 1 and nine-time Wimbledon champion had fun with Swiatek in an interview with ‘iNews’ where he accused him of complaining too much.
“I understand the stress of the players, and Iga, being Polish, had to play in the tournament in Warsaw. Normally, if he was not Polish, he would never have participated in that event and he would have taken a few weeks off, so maybe that’s why he’s tired… But, still, I have to say: ‘Come on, stay there.’ It’s September, you haven’t played many tournaments and we’re at the US Open, so you can’t take it like that. If you are mentally exhausted, don’t play” opined a Navratilova who relativized the fatigue of the number 1 in the world.
“Look at it in perspective, take the pressure off yourself and say you’re going to give it your all in your matches. The rest is stress free, everything is done for you. You just have to show up, train for an hour, all the physical work is done. You hold back and say: ‘Okay, go ahead’ and you put it into perspective with what normal people do for a living. You’re the center of attention, yes, but it’s a good problem. This is what you’ve wanted all your life and you’re here. You have to strengthen yourself,” he stressed.
Navratilova took the opportunity to recommend that she take a vacation. “Take some time off and focus on the tournament that ends the season. Just take some time, force yourself to take a vacation. It’s a good thing. I didn’t let it happen to myself, it didn’t cross my mind. Or just accept it and say you’re okay. Let’s just say 2 weeks, 7 games and you will literally have to work hard for 20 hours” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
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