Iga Swiatek admits she was keen on getting "revenge" against Zheng Qinwen in Indian Wells but also tells her Chinese rival that it was "nothing personal" but only a competitive nature.
As you probably remember, the world No. 9 pulled off arguably one of the biggest upsets of 2024 after ousting the Polish tennis star 6-2 7-5 in the Paris Olympics semifinal.
Since the Olympics were held at the Roland Garros venue - the same place where Swiatek won the last three French Open editions - many had the 23-year-old as the major favorite for the gold medal at last year's Summer Olympics. But then, Zheng ruined the 23-year-old's plans big time and left her feeling evidently crushed afterward.
On Thursday, the five-time Grand Slam winner and the ninth-ranked Chinese met for the first time since August. And this time, it was the Pole who registered a straight-set 6-3 6-3 victory in the Indian Wells quarterfinal.
Swiatek: I wanted to have a little revenge, but it's nothing personal
"For sure it does. I want to show myself and everybody that I can do it, and I already knew before the Olympics match, I know now, but yeah, it's not nice to lose to anybody, so for sure you want to have a little like revenge, but it's nothing personal. I think every player has that against everybody who they lose before," the former world No. 1 admitted.
In her next match, Swiatek will be looking to complete another revenge mission since she plays against Mirra Andreeva - the same player who ousted her 6-3 6-3 in the Dubai quarterfinal last month.
"Mirra... In the last tournament we played, so for sure there is a lot to analyze and to learn from. Honestly, I'm not overthinking it now. I need to see who is gonna win and then I'm gonna prepare," the defending Indian Wells champ said ahead of facing Andreeva.
