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Iga Swiatek spoke some Japanese during a Q&A session at the Japan Open.
The Pole is currently in Tokyo for the Japan Open (also known as the Toray Pan Pacific Open), where she is the top seed.
During a Q&A session, Swiatek was asked to say "I love you all" in Japanese in response to the fans thanking her for coming to Japan. The Pole obliged and said "I love you all" in Japanese, much to the delight of the fans.
Swiatek was asked about the prospect of her completing the career Grand Slam. She responded by stating that she would need a couple more years to play well on grass and that she was not rushing anything since she already won four Grand Slams.
"I don't think I can answer you specifically. Um, as soon as possible? Swiatek said. "Well for sure, I think I need a couple of more years to play on grass... so, I'm not rushing you know. I'm 22, so I still have a lot of time probably, more than like 10 years. So I'm doing my best to win every tournament I play at. But yeah, I'm not rushing it because I've already won 4 Slams."
Iga Swiatek will face Mai Hontama in the second round of the Japan Open
Iga Swiatek received a bye to the second round of the Japan Open and will start her campaign at the WTA 500 tournament against Japanese qualifier Mai Hontama.
Hontama booked her place in the Round of 16 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over compatriot and fellow qualifier Nao Hibino.
Swiatek and the World No. 148 will lock horns for the very first time and the winner of their match will take on either eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova or Kayla Day in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open.
The Pole has enjoyed a sensational 2023 season so far, winning 56 out of 66 matches with four titles to her name. This includes the French Open and two WTA 500 tournament wins.
Before the Japan Open, Swiatek competed at the US Open, where she was the defending champion. The 22-year-old reached the fourth round before losing to Jelena Ostapenko. The defeat also resulted in her losing her No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka after being at the top for 75 weeks. Swiatek is currently 1071 points behind Sabalenka.
