WTA Finals champion Iga Swiatek said the poor playing conditions in Cancun forced her to focus on her game instead of being distracted by the prospect of regaining the world No. 1 ranking.
The four-time Grand Slam champion swept aside Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 to claim her first WTA Finals title, and return to the top of the rankings after being deposed by Aryna Sabalenka in September.
The WTA conceded the 2023 edition of the Finals was "not a perfect event", with the court condition and stormy weather among the issues affecting players. Sabalenka said she did not feel safe playing on the court.
"The conditions that were kind of tricky also helped me to just, you know, focus on adjusting my footwork, my shots... that kept me busy from thinking about all of that. So today was... just being narrow with your head, only thinking about the right stuff," Swiatek said.
The Polish star said she had been sidetracked by the ranking race at other tournaments and it had affected her performance.
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