Swiatek narrows focus with grand slam history in sight

Shayne Hope |

Iga Swiatek is trying not to focus too much on the possibility of completing a career grand slam.
Iga Swiatek is trying not to focus too much on the possibility of completing a career grand slam.

Iga Swiatek insists the prospect of joining tennis’s most exclusive club as a career grand slam winner is more a talking point for the masses, as the super Pole chases her first Australian Open crown.

Swiatek returns to Melbourne Park as the only active female player with the opportunity to seal her place among the all-time greats of the women’s game with a complete set of the four major trophies.

The 24-year-old admits it would be a “dream come true” to join the likes of Margaret Court, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Billie-Jean King in achieving the rare feat.

Iga Swiatek
The United Cup gave Iga Swiatek a chance to fine-tune her game ahead of the Australian Open. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

But the possibility isn’t front of mind for six-time major winner Swiatek ahead of her first-round clash with Chinese qualifier Yue Yuan.

“No, I mean, honestly, since the beginning of the year, there are many people coming to me and talking to me about it,” Swiatek said.

“I’m really just focusing on day-by-day work. This is how it’s always been for me.

“This is how I actually was able to achieve the success that I already have, just focusing on really grinding, match by match.”

Chinese player Yue Yuan
Chinese player Yue Yuan is Iga Swiatek’s first-round opponent at the Australian Open. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Only 10 women have achieved a career grand slam, with Maria Sharapova the most recent entrant 14 years ago.

“Obviously it would be a dream come true, (but) this is not, like, my clear goal that I wake up with,” Swiatek said.

“I’m thinking more about how I want to play, what I want to improve, like, day by day.”

Swiatek was below her best during Poland’s United Cup victory in Sydney, ending the event with consecutive defeats to Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic, but felt energised by the tournament.

Iga Swiatek
Despite not feeling at her best, Iga Swiatek took plenty of positives out of the United Cup. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

She has twice reached the semi-finals in Melbourne, beaten in a third-set tiebreaker by eventual winner Madison Keys last year and Danielle Collins in 2022, when Ash Barty triumphed.

“Winning a grand slam is tough,” Swiatek said.

“A lot of things have to come together to do that.

“Yeah, it’s a tough tournament, so I have no expectations.”

Madison Keys shakes hands with Iga Swiatek
Eventual champion Madison Keys shakes hands with Iga Swiatek after last year’s AO semi-final. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Second seed Swiatek insists she isn’t looking beyond her match-up with Yuan, though two-time Open winner Naomi Osaka and 2023 finalist Elena Rybakina are potential early stumbling blocks.

“It’s not a joke,” Swiatek said.

“I’m literally not doing that, so please don’t spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match.”

AAP