June 27 (Reuters) – Defending champion Iga Swiatek said she was keeping her expectations in check as she prepared for Wimbledon, acknowledging the tournament’s recent habit of failing to produce back-to-back women’s singles champions.
With nine different winners in the last 10 editions at the All England Club, the six-times Grand Slam title winner said she did not know why repeating success on grass had proved so difficult, even for established majors champions.
“For sure it’s a tournament that creates maybe different challenges when you come back as the defending champion because of the whole thing that is happening around it,” Swiatek told reporters on Saturday.
“I think there were players that won this tournament that already have won many tournaments and Grand Slams. Why particularly it’s hard to repeat that, I have no idea.”
The Polish player claimed her maiden Wimbledon crown last year in emphatic style, crushing American Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the final, but has struggled to replicate that dominance in recent months.
Her season has been marked by inconsistency, with quarter-final exits at the Australian Open, Qatar and Indian Wells, followed by a shock second-round loss to compatriot Magda Linette in Miami. That defeat prompted a coaching change, with Swiatek replacing Wim Fissette with Francisco Roig.
The biggest setback came at Roland Garros, where the four-time champion suffered a surprise fourth-round exit to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Her grasscourt preparations have also been underwhelming, losing to Emma Navarro in the last 16 at Bad Homburg where she was top seed, leaving her with questions to answer ahead of her Wimbledon defence.
“I feel like I’m starting from a totally different position and I’m really in a place that I’m keeping my expectations low,” the 25-year-old said.
“Even though everybody is talking about this (being the defending champion), I feel like I need to play matches and I need to adjust. It’s not going to be smooth because of last year.”
Seeded third this year, Swiatek will open her campaign against American Taylor Townsend on Tuesday and said she hopes to build momentum as the tournament progresses.
“When I watch myself from last year, I remember that I was just so focused on the goal, didn’t have many doubts,” Swiatek said.
“At the beginning of the tournament, obviously you don’t know what you’re level is. You need to figure it out in the early matches. I could progress match by match.”
Wimbledon runs from June 29 to July 12.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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