Iga Swiatek downplays chances of winning Wimbledon: 'Still need to figure out grass'

Women's singles world number one Iga Swiatek seems to have downplayed her chances of winning the Wimbledon 2022 tournament despite being in the form of her life. The 21-year-old is heading into this tournament on the back of a 35-game winning streak and a French Open title.

Iga Swiatek downplays chances of winning Wimbledon 2022

Even though Iga Swiatek enters Wimbledon 2022 as one of the hot favourites because of her staggering winning streak, she seems to have downplayed her chances of winning the tournament by stating that she still needs to figure out grass.

While speaking to reporters on June 25, the Polish international said, "Honestly, I still feel like I need to figure out grass. Last year, for sure, it was that kind of tournament where I didn't know what to expect. Then match by match I realised maybe I can do more and more."

While Swiatek has not had the best of success on the grass in her senior career, she did win the Wimbledon junior title four years ago. However, the youngster explained that her lack of experience on the surface recently could be a hindrance to playing at her best level.

"Still this year I only played, like, 10 days on grass, so it's not a lot. I didn't have a lot of time to prepare. But I'm just trying to stay open-minded and kind of take positives from the situation and realise that I can play without any expectations," added Swiatek. Swiatek, who reached the fourth round last year, is set to begin her Wimbledon 2022 campaign against Croatian qualifier Jana Fett on Centre Court on Tuesday.

Speaking of the privilege of playing her match on Centre Court, Swiatek said, "We didn't really request that. I know that there have been some discussions about who should open, and I feel really privileged that I've been chosen. There are many players here who have won Wimbledon... It's a great thing for me. I wasn't expecting that because I still only made it to the fourth round last year and that's my best result. Hopefully, it's going to be a good show." Swiatek's comments are interesting as it is pertinent to note that the Centre Court is usually reserved for the reigning champion.