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Iga Swiatek recently admitted to having a "huge respect" for Bianca Andreescu, especially given the Canadian's penchant for coming back from setbacks time and again.
Swiatek booked her place in the fourth round of the 2023 French Open on Saturday, beating Wang Xinyu 6-0, 6-0 in a solid display of tennis. In the next match, she could face off against either Andreescu or Lesia Tsurenko, who are set to lock horns in the night session.
Speaking at her press conference afterwards, the World No. 1 touched on her relationship with Bianca Andreescu, revealing that they had a chat in Toronto last year where she had praised the Canadian for using her voice to support others.
Andreescu has been a big proponent of the importance of mental health in tennis, opening up about her struggles with the same and encouraging others to seek professional help when required.
"We didn't talk a lot honestly about, I don't know what she's doing because -- well, I remember I approached her I think in Toronto last year, and I just said that she's doing great job, kind of making it, I don't know, more, just using her voice to make it more available to people and also like sharing her experiences so the others can feel like they are not alone or something like that," Iga Swiatek said.
"I remember I just approached her but we didn't like discuss it because I know that, I don't know, everybody has their own path. I don't know. I didn't see a point of that because I also have kind of my idea, she has her ideas, and we are doing that and we are kind of trying to make people acknowledge that like this is like real stuff that everybody should take care of," she added.
The three-time Grand Slam champion went on to hail Andreescu for having the strength to come back from the mental health break she took from tennis in the middle of the pandemic, stating that it couldn't have been easy for her.
"I think, yeah, I have huge respect for her, because she's been through a lot, and for sure it wasn't easy for her. But, you know, she came back from that break that she had, and, yeah, as I said, I just really respect that," Iga Swiatek said.
"Every year, I face different challenges" - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek then opened up about the reflections she had about the past year during her birthday earlier this week. 2022 was an extraordinary year for the World No. 1, as she managed to win two Grand Slam titles and go on a 37-match win streak -- the longest in the 21st century by any WTA player.
While the 22-year-old could not put into words exactly what she recollected, she spoke about how she thought about her life in general and reminisced on all the things about her tennis she was satisfied with.
At the same time, she also admitted that last season had both ups and downs for her, adding that every year brought with it new challenges that she was excited for.
"It was, you know, not an easy year. A lot of like new situations and a lot of ups and downs. I don't know, like every year has been so intense. This one as well. Every year, you know, I face different challenges, so I kind of just thought about these challenges and tough moments I had and also how I overcame them.
"All the moments where I felt really, you know, satisfied with my tennis. But like overall, yeah, I just thought about my life, so it's kind of hard to describe it right now," Iga Swiatek said.
