MELBOURNE, Australia -- World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has paid tribute to retired Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty, revealing the three-time Slam champion was a major source of motivation in her own ascension to the top of the women's game.
Barty's shock retirement in the wake of her 2022 Australian Open triumph would eventually promote Swiatek to the WTA's top ranking, an honour she has held for 86 of the past 94 weeks. In that period, Swiatek has won an additional three major titles, taking her career tally to four, as well as 2023's season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico.
"Ash changed a lot ... my mindset going into 2022 and I think that was like a breakthrough for me," Swiatek said during her on-court interview, after overcoming Sofia Kenin in the first round of the Australian Open. "She really motivated me and I feel like it was one of the reasons I later became world No. 1.
"I'm really grateful for her. I'm not sure if I would be world No.1 if she was still playing [but] she was a huge inspiration."
Later in her press conference, Swiatek delved into more detail about Barty's influence and how challenging it was to face her.
"It was really annoying losing against [Barty] and playing against her because, as I said, you knew what she's going to play, in terms of the tactics and the placement," said Swiatek. "She did it so well, there was nothing you could do. It really annoyed me. I wanted to get better, be able to be solid when she's playing her slices.
"Even though she wasn't the tallest [player], she served really well and the placement was amazing. I knew that if I'm going to be working hard, it could be possible for me. She really motivated me.
"Also, off court, I felt like she has distance to everything what's going on. Yeah, for sure she felt a lot of pressure and stress. She was always in her own bubble, in the zone. I really respected that."
Barty and Swiatek faced each other twice on tour, first in Madrid and later in Adelaide, with the Australian winning both clashes in straight sets.
Swiatek will play former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in the second round of the tournament on Thursday.