Iga Swiatek says poor conditions in Cancun helped her win WTA Finals, reclaim No 1 ranking
- Swiatek sweeps aside Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 to claim her first WTA Finals title after showpiece was delayed 24 hours because of weather
- Four-time grand slam champion was forced to focus on her game – instead of being distracted by prospect of returning to top of rankings
WTA Finals champion Iga Swiatek said the poor playing conditions in Cancun forced her to focus on her game instead of being distracted by the prospect of regaining the world No 1 ranking.
The four-time grand slam champion swept aside Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 to claim her first WTA Finals title on Monday night local time, and return to the top of the rankings after being deposed by Aryna Sabalenka in September.
The WTA conceded this year’s edition of the Finals was “not a perfect event”, with the court condition and stormy weather among the issues affecting players. Sabalenka said she did not feel safe playing on the court.
“The conditions that were kind of tricky also helped me to just, you know, focus on adjust my footwork, my shots … that kept me busy from thinking about all of that,” Swiatek told reporters of the No 1 ranking.
“So I think today was … just being narrow with your head, only thinking about the right stuff.”
The 22-year-old Pole said she had been distracted by the ranking race at other tournaments and it had affected her performance.