Iga Swiatek admitted Her answer on the subject of retirement “changes a little bit actually” because it is difficult to predict what situation she will find herself in “in five or ten years.”
The Polish star revealed she would “probably play for a long time” as she is “the kind of person who likes to finish what I start”, but acknowledged that “people change”.
Swiatek, who only turned 22 in May this year, has already reached remarkable heights in her career so far – winning four Grand Slam titles and reaching the world number one ranking. She has won 17 WTA titles in total, including six WTA 1000 tournaments.
The three-time Roland Garros champion finished the year at the top of the WTA rankings and was named WTA Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023 after two superb seasons.
Swiatek has won six titles in 2023, including the WTA Finals in Cancun at her last event, as she compiled a brilliant 68-11 (86.1%) record.
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The 22-year-old’s first victory at the year-end championships saw her overtake rival Aryna Sabalenka to reclaim the world number one spot.
The Pole lost the top spot to Sabalenka after the US Open in September, where she lost to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round. Her first run of 75 weeks at the top of the world rankings was the third-longest in WTA history for a first-time top-ranked player, behind Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis.
She ended 2023 on an 11-match winning streak – dropping just one set during that run – after also winning the WTA 1000 title in Beijing in October.
Speaking in an interview with PZU GroupSwiatek offered an honest reflection on her career plans when asked about retirement.
“I thought about it, but I admit that the answer to this question changes a little. And with that, I don’t know how tired I feel of nature. I admit that I don’t analyze it too much because I don’t know in what situation I will find myself, for example, in five or ten years. It’s difficult to predict, really,” the Pole said.
“I’m someone who likes to finish what I start, so I’ll probably be playing for a long time. But like I say, people change, life paths are different and you don’t know what will happen in 10 years. That’s why I don’t think about it at all. For now, I’m focusing on training well tomorrow.”
