Iga Swiatek aims for United Cup redemption: "We were so close last year"

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will team up with Hubert Hurkacz in the upcoming United Cup, set to begin on December 27. Team Poland, the second seed in the draw, is determined to improve upon their performance from last year, when they reached the final but fell to Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber.

The Polish team came agonisingly close to victory in the tournament. In the final, Swiatek delivered a dominant win over Kerber (6-3, 6-0), leaving Hurkacz needing to beat Zverev to secure the title. After winning the first set, Hurkacz squandered a match point in the second, allowing the German player to stage a comeback.

The tie was ultimately decided in the doubles match, where Swiatek and Hurkacz paired up against Zverev and Laura Siegemund, with the German duo clinching the title in a third-set 10-point tiebreak.

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Swiatek ready for redemption in United Cup

As Swiatek gears up for another United Cup campaign, she expressed her motivation in an interview with Tennis Australia: “Last year we were so close,” the four-time Roland Garros champion said. “[Had] match points in Hubie’s [Hurkacz's] match. So for sure this year we want to have another chance and hopefully go to the latest stages of the tournament to fight for winning it because I think the Polish team is amazing."

"We have great experience already playing with each other," the world No. 2 stated. “Last year’s match brings a lot of emotions, but I still remember it as a positive one, even though we lost the last one. It was pretty entertaining for sure,” she added.

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Poland has been drawn in Group B alongside Norway and the Czech Republic, with matches to be played in Sydney during the round-robin stage. “Pretty different conditions than what we have in Sydney and Melbourne. So I’m going to spend the next days also practising hard and getting used to the conditions,” Swiatek said.

“Overall, I think my preparations were pretty great even though they were short because my season ended later than usual. I spent every day on court with 100 percent commitment and that was the most important thing.”

Swiatek’s round-robin opponents are currently set to be Marlene Helgø (No. 404) and Karolina Muchova (No. 22). The latter matchup will be a rematch of the 2023 French Open final, where Swiatek claimed her third Roland Garros title with a three-set victory.

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“It’s the first tournament of the year, so you never know what kind of tennis you will bring. You have to spend a couple of days feeling out how you’re going to feel on the court,” she said.

“I think they’re both going to be tough matches, especially the one against the Czech Republic. With Karolina Muchova I’ve always played pretty good battles, three-setters usually. So it’s going to be pretty exciting. But for now, I’m just going step-by-step and focusing on the first battles here.”