‘Winning the final or semifinal are not my goals’ - Iga Swiatek’s strong words on expectations after US Open quarter-final defeat

World number one Iga Swiatek’s campaign at the US Open 2024 was cut short by Jessica Pegula's incredible quarter-final win. With a 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday at the Flushing Meadows, Pegula reached her maiden Grand Slam semi-final, while Swiatek’s quest for a sixth Grand Slam title continues. 

The Polish superstar was not at her best, but her opponent was rock solid right from the start of the game. Following her shocking defeat, Swiatek shared some powerful thoughts about expectations and how they differ from goals. She was responding to a question about her earlier statement about lowering her expectations.

The past few weeks haven't been great for the 23-year-old. At the Paris Olympics, she lost to Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals and had to settle for a bronze medal. Her next upset was at the Cincinnati Masters, where she lost in straight sets to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.  

Also Read: Taylor Fritz gets to first Grand Slam semi-final after beating Alexander Zverev in US Open quarterfinals

When I have high expectations, I never perform well: Iga Swiatek

After multiple losses, Swiatek said she is lowering his expectations and just focusing on the result. However, her result at the US Open was even worse as she had to make an early exit. When asked about lowering her expectations during the post-match press conference, the top seed said she feels like she never performs well when she has high expectations for herself.

Also Check: WATCH: Iga Swiatek shows her frustration during US Open quarter-final match vs Jessica Pegula

“I'm always trying to have lower expectations, because I know that, like, any of us can win this tournament, and it's not going to be easy, you know. And also, I feel like when I have high expectations, I never perform well. So I try to lower them. It's not like it's just low and that's it, you know, because it's hard to have low expectations when everybody is expecting something from you, and you kind of know that you might have a game to play well,” Swiatek said.  

The five-time Grand Slam winner further stated that she wants to win the semi-finals and finals like every other player. However, she added that those are not her goals but pure expectations.

“I'm not gonna just expect from myself that I'm always going to win. I'm more just focused on the work. And it's more of an answer, because when I talk to you guys, because everybody is always, like, speaking about results straightaway when you go to a tournament, they want to know what my goal is, I don't know, winning the final, the semifinal, and it's just not it, you know. These are not my goals when I go in a tournament,” she added.