World No. 1 Credits Sports Psychologist

Iga Swiatiek, the current women’s world no. 1 in tennis, recognized the power of mental fitness early on in her career. She has traveled with her full-time sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, for nearly 4 years, since Swiatiek was 17 years old.

The young tennis star incorporates her work with Abramowicz as a large part of her training.

“I just believe that mental toughness is probably the most important thing in tennis right now. Everybody can play on the highest level, but the ones that are tough and can handle the pressure are the biggest ones,” Swiatiek said.

“Creating and managing a healthy and sustainable career nowadays, especially in the era of social media and mobile devices and other pressures, it’s something that is a great challenge for almost everyone in high-performance sport,” Abramowicz said to PA news agency.

Abramowicz’s work with Swiatiek ranges from maintaining a “healthy level of perfectionism,” to specifics regarding individual matches and opponents, to creating meaningful relationships in life.

Swiatiek is not the first player to stress the importance of the mental game in tennis, Naomi Osaka, prior world no. 1, has been outspoken on the difficulties of navigating the media and the pressure that comes with success. Osaka, along with former world no. 4 Bianca Andreescu, recently took a hiatus from tennis due to their mental health.

Abramowicz hopes many more athletes will raise awareness of the benefits of mental health “not only in the sports environment but also in the everyday life of many people.”