Maria Sakkari laughed off any suggestion of a "Netflix curse" after a comeback win over Diana Shnaider at the Australian Open.

Sakkari, seeded sixth in Melbourne, came from a set down to beat Shnaider 3-6 7-5 6-3 on Wednesday.

That marked the Greek's fifth career comeback win in a grand slam main draw, though her first since the fourth round at the 2021 US Open against Bianca Andreescu, and her first at the Australian Open.

Across this season and last year, Sakkari has played 25 Tour-level matches that have gone the distance, with only Ons Jabeur (26), Belinda Bencic (27) and Aryna Sabalenka (28) having played more three-set matches in the same timeframe.

Sakkari was one of nine players (four from the WTA Tour, five from the ATP Tour) to feature in Netflix's new Break Point series, which was launched on the streaming platform earlier this month.

However, three of those players – Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic and Paula Badosa – had to withdraw from the season's first grand slam due to injuries, while Matteo Berrettini was defeated by Andy Murray in his first-round match.

Yet Sakkari does not believe in such superstitions as a "Netflix curse".

"Netflix curse? I have never heard that," Sakkari said.

"I mean, the only one that I can think of is Matteo, but Matteo lost his match 7-6 on the fifth set. I personally have to say that they only bring us luck, and I enjoyed my time with them because they are nice people.

"Trust me, they are very, very nice. You know, if you let these thoughts and this energy affect you, then it's when bad luck comes.

"I would say that because they are all very nice and they are all very respectful, they have only brought me good luck."

She smiled: "Obviously some tournaments I play badly because I play badly. It's not because of them! But, yes, overall it has been great."

Shnaider, in her first meeting with Sakkari, became the first female qualifier to win the opening set at the Australian Open against a top-eight seeded opponent since Angelique Kerber against Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2010.

Sakkari will face Lin Zhu in the third round, after the latter's win over Jil Teichmann.

The pair have only met once before, in qualifying for the 2016 Australian Open, with Sakkari coming out on top.

Jessica Pegula has been wearing a number three on her outfit at the Australian Open, and she confirmed it is to show support to Damar Hamlin.

Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2 and spent over a week in hospital, much of that time in critical condition.

Pegula's parents own the NFL franchise as well as the Buffalo Sabres NHL team, and during her second-round win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Melbourne, was seen with a number three on her skirt, which is Hamlin's number and became a symbol of appreciation from well-wishers during his recovery.

"I definitely wanted to do something," Pegula said after her 6-2 7-6 (7-5) victory over Sasnovich. "We were kind of figuring out what the Bills and the Sabres were doing, just as far as what was the message.

"I knew they would probably do something and what message were they trying to send. It ended up being [that] the three was the symbol.

“I just thought it would be cool to put on my outfit here. I thought it would be a fun way to kind of connect with the team and then also just show my support."

There had been speculation that the number was related to her ranking, with the 28-year-old coincidentally the WTA world number three heading into the Australian Open, where she is the third seed, but Pegula laughed off the suggestion.

"I saw someone tweet that: 'Why would you put your ranking on your skirt?'. I'm, like, 'No, that’s not why,'" she said with amusement.

Pegula will play the winner of Olivia Gadecki and Marta Kostyuk in round three at Melbourne Park.

Rafael Nadal refused to retire from his second-round match at the Australian Open despite suffering a hip injury in his shock defeat.

The reigning champion and top seed in Melbourne crashed out on Wednesday, going down 6-4 6-4 7-5 to world number 65 Mackenzie McDonald.

Nadal started sloppily in the first set and then pulled up with an apparent upper leg issue after chasing a forehand at 4-3 down in the second, and his movement was clearly hampered from that point on.

The 36-year-old confirmed he aggravated an issue he had been suffering with for a "couple of days" prior to his meeting with McDonald.

Nadal could well have handed McDonald a walkover, but explained that as defending champion, he did not want to go out without a fight.

"I considered all the time stopping, but I didn't ask," he said in a press conference. "I have to know myself, and I tried to keep playing without increasing the damage.

"I was not able to hit the backhand at all. I was not able to run for the ball. But I just wanted to finish the match. That's it.

"I didn't ask them [his team]. I am old enough to take my own decisions. I didn't want to retire, [as] defending champion here. No, I didn't want to leave the court with a retirement.

"It's better like this. I lost. Nothing to say. Congratulations to the opponent. Just try your best till the end, it doesn't matter the chances that you have.

"That's the philosophy of the sport. That's the essence of the sport by itself. I tried to follow that during all my tennis career, and I tried of course to not increase the damage, because I didn't know what's going on."

Nadal, who is the first top seed to go out in the second round of the Australian Open since Gustavo Kuerten in 2001, is unsure as to the extent of his injury.

"I don't know what's going on, if it's a muscle, if it's a joint. I have history in the hip, I had issues. I had to do treatments in the past," he said.

"Now I feel I cannot move. But I don't know till I do the test and all this stuff, I don't know. I don't know.

"I'm tired of talking about it. I understand, but I lost the match. That's it. I tried until the end. I don't know if in good condition I would win the match. I will have better chances without a doubt."

Nadal added that he would be "lying" if he said he had been mentally destroyed by the issue, given the comfort of his life outside tennis.

However, the 22-time grand slam champion is still motivated to return to the court.

"It's a very simple thing: I like what I do. I like playing tennis," he added.

"I know it's not forever. I like to feel competitive. I like to fight for the things that I have been fighting for almost half of my life or even more. 

"It's not that complicated to understand, no? When you like to do one thing, sacrifices always make sense. When you do things that you like to do, at the end of the day, it's not a sacrifice. You are doing the things that you want to do. Sacrifice is when you are doing things that you don't want to do."

The Spaniard conceded another long spell away from the court would be difficult, though.

He said: "Of course it's tiring and frustrating to spend a lot of [this] part of my career recovering and trying to fight against all this stuff all the time.

"I have had seven months playing almost nothing, and then if I have to spend a long time again, then it's super difficult in the end to be in rhythm and to be competitive and to be ready for the fight. Let's see how the injury is, and then let's see how I can manage to follow the calendar."

Mackenzie McDonald produced one of the upsets of the Australian Open on Wednesday as he eliminated defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the second round, with the Spaniard hampered by an apparent leg injury.

There were ominous signs early on as number one seed Nadal had his serve broken in the opening game of the match, and McDonald secured a second break en route to wrapping up the first set.

It was more of the same in the second as McDonald took advantage of some uncharacteristically sloppy play from the 36-year-old, before Nadal seemed to hurt himself.

At 4-3 down in the second set, Nadal pulled up with an apparent upper leg issue after chasing a forehand, and his movement was clearly hampered from that point on.

In typical defiant fashion, Nadal's level rose in the third, hitting 24 winners, but as he improved, so did McDonald, who did not allow Nadal a single break point opportunity.

The 22-time grand slam champion saved break point at 4-4 to hold serve as he tried to get back into the contest, but was unable to repeat the trick in his next service game as McDonald secured the break before serving out to clinch a famous win.

It is the latest in a troubling run of form for Nadal, who received multiple injury timeouts on his way to a seventh loss from his last 10 matches dating back to the US Open.

McDonald will play the winner of Yoshihito Nishioka and Dalibor Svrcina in the third round.

Data Slam: Nadal joins dubious company as top-seed casualty

Nadal is the first top seed to be eliminated from the Australian Open in the second round since Gustavo Kuerten in 2001.

The Brazilian was also a clay specialist, winning all three of his grand slams at the French Open.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Nadal – 6/2

McDonald – 14/2

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Nadal – 42/31

McDonald – 42/22

BREAK POINTS WON

Nadal – 2/4

McDonald – 5/8

World number one and tournament favourite Iga Swiatek feels second-round opponent Camila Osorio did not do much wrong despite going down 6-2 6-3 on Wednesday.

Swiatek is seeking her fourth career grand slam singles title, and the 21-year-old is yet to drop a set through two rounds at the Australian Open.

She was nearly flawless in her service game against Osorio, landing 80 per cent of her first serves fair while also committing zero double faults, and she was just as impressive when on the return.

Osorio was able to win just 31 per cent of her service points in the opening set (eight-of-26), and for the match she only held serve on two occasions from eight attempts.

Despite Swiatek's clear advantage in both phases, Osorio managed to break her serve three times, and the Polish superstar said she was made to earn every point.

"It was much tougher than this score says – it was really intense physically and Camila was really running to every ball," she said. "She didn’t give up. She didn’t give me many points for free. 

"So I needed to really work for each of them and it was tough, but I’m happy that I was proactive and trying to just play a little bit to put pressure [on her]. I’m pretty happy that I won and I can play next round."

Swiatek also shared a story about when the rain started pouring on Tuesday night in the midst of her walk, urging spectators in jest to come to her aid if a similar situation arises in the future.

"In Melbourne it’s usually sunny, except today and yesterday," she said. "So I need to change my plans. 

"Yesterday I actually went for a walk at 7[pm] and it started raining, and I was just hiding under the tree, waiting for like 30 minutes.

"So if there’s anybody who’s going to see me tonight walking in the rain, please save me, give me an umbrella or something."

Swiatek's march to what would be her first Australian Open final continues when she takes on the winner between Cristina Bucsa and Bianca Andreescu in the third round.

World number one Iga Swiatek had no problem dealing with Camila Osorio during Wednesday's second round, advancing with a 6-2 6-3 victory.

Swiatek, 21, is seeking her fourth grand slam title and her first at the Australian Open, having already won the French Open twice before claiming her first US Open crown this past season.

Against Osorio, it was Swiatek's ability to consistently return that was the difference, holding the Colombian to just a 31 per cent success rate on her service points in the opening set (eight-of-26).

It resulted in a lightning-quick start for the Polish superstar, winning the first four games of the match, and despite giving back a couple breaks of serve, Swiatek did not allow Osorio to hold serve a single time in the opening frame.

Osorio was able to finally hold serve to begin the second set, before Swiatek again rattled off four consecutive games to collect a double-break and a winning lead.

In a remarkably clean performance from the tournament favourite, Swiatek landed 80 per cent of her first serves fair while committing no double faults, and both players finished with more winners than unforced errors.

With the victory, Swiatek will now face the winner between Cristina Bucsa and Bianca Andreescu in the third round.

Data Slam: Swiatek in legendary company

Swiatek has now won 53 of her first 65 grand slam matches – the sixth-best total through 65 attempts in the Open Era.

She trails only Margaret Court (61), Monica Seles (60), Chris Evert (57), Martina Hingis (56), Billie Jean King (56) and Tracy Austin (54).

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Swiatek – 19/16

Osorio – 16/14

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Swiatek – 0/0

Osorio – 0/2

BREAK POINTS WON

Swiatek – 6/8

Osorio – 3/5

Tennis great Chris Evert has revealed she is cancer-free, just over a year after she began her fight against the illness.

Evert began chemotherapy in January 2022 after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Doctors caught Evert's cancer early after she had a preventative hysterectomy following the death of her sister, Jeanne, from the same disease.

The 68-year-old, who concluded her course of chemotherapy last May, confirmed the positive news on Tuesday, writing for ESPN: "A year ago, I started a journey to protect myself and my loved ones from the risks associated with the BRCA-related ovarian cancer that took my sister Jeanne's life. 

"It is only because of the genetic road map my sister left behind and the power of scientific progress that we caught my cancer early enough to do something about it.

"My doctor said if left undiscovered, in four months' time I would probably have been Stage Three like Jeanne, with very few options. Instead, I was diagnosed with Stage Three ovarian cancer, and I immediately began six rounds of chemotherapy.

"Today, I'm cancer-free, and there's a 90 per cent chance that the ovarian cancer will never come back."

However, Evert added her "story isn't over" and confirmed that on December 1, a year to the day since her hysterectomy, she underwent a double mastectomy in order to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Evert said she is "well on the road to recovery".

She explained: "I have one more surgery left to complete reconstruction. They say this part is easy, but I can assure you, the last five years have not been.

"As relieved as I will be to get to the other side of this, I will always have a heavy heart. I will never heal from losing Jeanne, and I will never take for granted the gift she gave me in the process.

"My sister's journey saved my life, and I hope by sharing mine, I just might save somebody else's."

Evert won 18 grand slam titles across her illustrious career and enjoyed an on-court rivalry with Martina Navratilova.

When Navratilova confirmed her own cancer diagnosis earlier this year, Evert was among those to offer their support.

Evert posted on Twitter: "Thinking of @Martina today and supporting her journey, like she did mine, with love and prayers. This is a woman who takes on challenges with strength and resilience…You got this, Martina."

Novak Djokovic set off on his Melbourne mission to match Rafael Nadal's haul of 22 grand slams, promising: "I know how to handle it."

The title favourite and nine-time champion swept through his first Australian Open match in two years, beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3 6-4 6-0.

Deported from Melbourne last year amid a vaccination saga, and denied the chance to defend his title, Djokovic received a rousing welcome on Rod Laver Arena.

"I felt very welcome on the court," Djokovic said. "Especially the Serbian community that is big here in Australia has welcomed me in an incredible way. So much support. So much love."

The 35-year-old from Belgrade dropped just four points in the closing set, with the hamstring injury that hampered his preparation seemingly giving him no fresh cause for concern.

"The leg is good. It's not ideal, but it's getting there. Today was a really good test," he added.

Djokovic will join Nadal at the top of the men's all-time list of slam triumphs should he pick up a 10th title at Melbourne Park next week. He may soon be looking at overtaking Margaret Court, who won 24 singles slams, the most by any player.

"They're just numbers in the end of the day," Djokovic said, when asked about the targets in his sights.

"I've been in the situations before where I've played for some really big historic things, and I've been blessed to have I would say more success than failures in those particular situations.

"I know how to behave, I know how to handle it. Let's see how far I can go."

Mother Dijana and father Srdan have joined Djokovic in Australia this year, as has brother Marko.

His parents have not made the trip to Melbourne since 2008, the year Djokovic won a first grand slam in Australia.

"Well it's really not around the corner from Serbia. Australia is a pretty long way," said Djokovic, explaining why they usually stayed away.

"That's probably the biggest reason. They've come to watch me in Paris, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon, US Open. In particular, Australian Open has been a bit of a trip for my parents particularly.

"I'm really glad to have them here. The last time they were here, actually the only time they were here, was back in 2008. We have some great memories and considerations about the time that they spent here together now 15 years ago. Hopefully they can stay all the way, I can stay all the way, and we can have another great celebration."

Novak Djokovic swept through his first Australian Open match in two years as his mission to create more tennis history began in impressive style.

Chasing a 10th Australian Open title, and the major that would take him level with Rafael Nadal's record of 22 men's singles grand slams, Djokovic beat Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3 6-4 6-0.

Deported from Melbourne last year amid a vaccination saga, and denied the chance to defend his title, Djokovic received a rousing welcome on Rod Laver Arena.

The contest did not begin until shortly after 2230 local time, with Andy Murray's five-set afternoon battle against Matteo Berrettini having been followed by a three-set struggle for Ons Jabeur in the first night match.

Djokovic began with an ace, but all eyes were on how he would cope with a left hamstring problem that has been affecting his preparation. It required strapping, but ultimately it did not prove a worrying factor.

Entering the contest, world number 75 Carballes Baena had a 0-9 career record against top-10 players, so the match went much as expected.

The underdog had three break points in the fifth game but could not capitalise as Djokovic came from 0-40 behind to stay on serve. There was no escape from 0-40 for Carballes Baena in the next game, though, as Djokovic sealed the first break with a brutally brilliant forehand.

That established the tone, with Djokovic breaking in game seven of the second set on his way to a firm stranglehold. Once the second set was won, Djokovic steamed through the third, dropping only four points.

Data slam: Never in doubt

Djokovic is now 67-2 in grand slam first-round matches. His only losses have come in Australia, against Marat Safin in 2005 and Paul Goldstein a year later.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Djokovic – 41/21
Carballes Baena – 14/16

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Djokovic – 9/1
Carballes Baena – 4/1

BREAK POINTS WON

Djokovic – 5/9
Carballes Baena – 0/3

Alexander Zverev believes the Australian Open is already a success for him after his five-set victory against Juan Pablo Varillas on Tuesday.

It was the German's first win since his foot injury at the French Open in June during his semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Zverev only returned to tour-level tennis in December at the United Cup, where he lost to Jiri Lehecka and Taylor Fritz.

He fell a set behind twice against the Peruvian lucky loser Varillas, before fighting back to win 4-6 6-1 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.

The world number 12 hit 69 winners and won 83 per cent of his first serve points in the contest, which lasted four hours and nine minutes.

"I am extremely happy because I missed this over the past seven months," Zverev said after his victory.

"This match alone pays off for all the hard work and suffering that I have had. To win in front of this kind of crowd again.

"I can't wait for the rest of the tournament. No matter what happens from now, the tournament is already a success for me."

Zverev will face the winner of Michael Mmoh or Laurent Lokoli in the second round, with their match suspended at two sets all on Tuesday due to rain.

Ons Jabeur said a knee problem presents her with "a great challenge" at the Australian Open as she looks to reach a third successive grand slam final.

Tamara Zidansek, the world number 98, gave Jabeur plenty to think about in round one on Tuesday, but the Slovenian eventually faded as the second seed came through a 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-1 winner.

Two hours and 17 minutes will have been longer than Jabeur wanted to stay out on Rod Laver Arena, but she was pleased to at least finish strongly.

The Tunisian is making a habit of getting through to major finals, losing to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon and Iga Swiatek at the US Open, but she dearly wants to be a winner on such an occasion.

That may still happen in Australia, but Jabeur had taping on her right knee and may find it is beyond her to go deep into the tournament this fortnight. She said the performance was "not the way I wanted to play", and there seems little doubt the knee was a factor.

"It's not a big injury, but sometimes it might bother me," Jabeur said.

"I try to take it one day at a time. It's a great challenge. I'm going to challenge myself and see if I cannot play 100 per cent, but we'll try to push and be able to do something with it for sure."

Her back has also been an issue in recent weeks, and Jabeur had the crowd in creases by saying she would demand a late-night massage from her husband. She quickly clarified that was all she was asking from him, pointing out he is her fitness coach.

Jabeur expects to have a "light practice" on Wednesday ahead of facing Marketa Vondrousova or Alison Riske-Amritraj in round two the following day.

In the second set, she trailed 5-3 but snatched a break back and would have hoped to then get the job done in straight sets, only to be broken herself.

Iga Swiatek, the top seed, was in a similar situation in her opener against Jule Niemeier on Monday, managing to get the job done in two rather than go to a decider.

"It's nice to see Iga from 5-3 [winning] 7-5. I wanted to do that today, but I'm not Iga," Jabeur said. "Better 6-1 in the third set."

Andy Murray savoured a landmark win at the Australian Open as Tuesday's five-set triumph against Matteo Berrettini gave him a 50th career victory at Melbourne Park.

The world number 66, formerly an ATP rankings leader, slugged out a 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (10-6) success against 13th seed Berrettini, who reached the semi-finals last year.

It handed Berrettini a first opening-round exit at a grand slam since the 2019 Australian Open.

Murray said he "wouldn't expect to feel perfect" for his next match on Thursday, given the effort that went in over the four hours and 49 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

However, the 35-year-old, who will face Fabio Fognini or Thanasi Kokkinakis next, will want to be back to somewhere near full health for that tussle.

Last year in Australia, Murray beat 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in another gruelling first-round five-set marathon, before losing tamely to Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in his second match.

In all, Tuesday's scalp of Berrettini gave Murray his fourth five-set win at the Australian Open. The other two came in semi-finals, beating Roger Federer in 2013 and Milos Raonic three years later. He lost in the subsequent final both times to Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic has beaten Murray in four Australian Open finals, with the Briton also sunk by Roger Federer in the 2010 title match, meaning he has been runner-up five times and never come away with the trophy.

Federer has won the most men's singles matches in Australia, with 102 victories, landing six titles along the way. Djokovic, with nine, has the most titles.

A weary Murray said after finishing off Berrettini: "In the last few years, I've certainly questioned myself at times. There's certainly a lot of people who have questioned me and my ability, whether I could still perform at the biggest events and the biggest matches.

"I felt very proud of myself after the match. That's not something that I generally felt over the years at the end of the tennis matches.

"I was impressed with myself, which again is not something... I'm hard on myself usually."

Andy Murray pulled off a stunning victory over Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open as the five-time runner-up enjoyed another big moment in Melbourne.

Unseeded this year, former world number one Murray survived a match point against him to take a first-round thriller against the Italian 13th seed.

Murray had not lost a grand slam match after winning the first two sets since a third-round clash against David Nalbandian at Wimbledon in 2005, his first grand slam main-draw appearance.

Yet he almost let such a lead slip away this time, before digging deep for a 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (10-6) victory, achieved in four hours and 49 minutes.

Five-time Australian Open runner-up Murray faced a daunting opener, but both men would have hoped for a kinder draw.

It seemed to be going firmly the 35-year-old Scot's way when he swept through the opening two sets, but back came Berrettini to level up, edging a tight fourth that could have gone either way.

Berrettini had the contest at his mercy at match point against Murray's serve at 5-4 in the decider, only to clatter a close-range backhand into the net when it seemed sure he would put away a winner.

The stakes were high as the match entered a final-set tie-break, and when Murray sped into a 5-0 lead he looked firmly in control. There were slight wobbles from that point, but Murray made sure, helped by a lucky net cord on match point as a service return trickled over.

"I didn't know that," Murray said afterwards, when told about his record when leading matches by two sets.

Berrettini lost his first meeting with Murray, which came in Beijing in 2019, but the Italian won all three of their next matches, on grass at London's Queen's Club and Stuttgart before a US Open victory last September.

Former Wimbledon and US Open winner Murray, still playing thanks to his metal hip, expects Tuesday's match on a scorching day in Melbourne to take a toll. 

"I'll be feeling this, this evening and tomorrow, but right now I'm unbelievably happy, very proud of myself," Murray said in an on-court interview.

"I've put a lot of work into the last few months with my team who are here to give me an opportunity to perform on stadiums like this and matches like this, against players like Matteo, and it paid off tonight."

Extreme heat stopped play on day two at the Australian Open as tournament chiefs stopped play on all courts without a roof due to soaring temperatures.

By the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday, the tournament's heat stress scale had reached 5, the point at which play has to be suspended.

Matches were allowed to continue through to the end of an even number of games in a set, or the end of a tie-break, before players left the court.

It led to an interruption of around two hours on all courts without a roof.

The tournament's heat policy takes account of radiant heat – the strength of the sun – plus air temperature in the shade, relative humidity and wind speed.

An initial warning of what might be set to happen came when the tournament delivered a first weather report, stating: "At 1:12pm the AO heat stress scale reached 4 and the heat policy came into play.

"This means singles players can take a 10-minute break – women between the second and third set and men between the third and fourth set of their matches. Players have the option of staying on court or using showers or cooling rooms."

Less than two hours later came confirmation play would have to stop, except for those courts where the players had shade thanks to a roof.

The tournament announced: "The AO heat stress scale has reached 5 and play will be suspended on the outside courts. There will be no play on outside courts before 5pm."

Andy Murray's gripping first-round match against Matteo Berrettini on Rod Laver Arena, the main show court, was able to continue due to that show court's roof, while play also continued on Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.

American Taylor Fritz, used to playing in high heat in his native California, said he did not find conditions too oppressive.

His match on John Cain Arena began without a roof, before it was closed to allow play to go on.

"It's hot, but it's dry heat, so I don't really mind it too much," said Fritz, a dark horse for the title this year.

"Playing in D.C. last year, US Open some years, is much worse because it's so hot, plus the humidity. When it's like today, it's not that humid. I don't think it's as bad.

"As long as it's this dry type of heat, then it's not that big of a deal. If it was this hot plus humidity, then it might be an issue. It would be pretty annoying to deal with."

Iga Swiatek believes people sometimes treat her like a "robot who has to win all the time" and are focused too much on "numbers and statistics."

Swiatek came through her first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday as she beat Jule Niemeier 6-4 7-5, though she trailed 5-3 in the second set before winning four-straight games.

The world number one will face Camila Osorio in the second round on Wednesday, and admitted she had needed to find another gear to overcome her German opponent.

"I knew that I could get my focus up a little bit, [increase] the intensity a little bit more. So I did that," she said.

"But my goal for my next matches is not being in those situations and not starting the set with losing a break, but it happens. I'm happy that I was able to come back. It wasn't like I needed to really change a lot. I just needed to have more intensity."

After an impressive 2022 season, that saw her win the French Open and US Open, expectations have risen around Swiatek, which the 21-year-old has noticed.

"For sure, I feel like people are really focused on the numbers and on the statistics," she said. "I feel like they're looking at those matches not seeing that we are still people, and we have to really fight for it. 

"I know that I also put a lot of expectations on myself, but I'm working on that. It just feels like sometimes they're not treating you still as a human, but more like a robot who has to win."

Swiatek has now won the first round in a grand slam tournament in 15 of her previous 16 appearances, but admitted she only developed confidence in playing on hard courts last year.

"At the beginning of last year I didn't have that much confidence that I can also win big titles on hard court because all of them basically happened last season," she said.

"Also before I think the media kind of described me as a clay court player. Maybe that got into me a little bit. But, yeah, for sure working with [coach] Tomasz [Wiktorowski], I just felt like I can be more aggressive on hard court. I don't have to be the baseline player. I really used that in my matches, then the results kind of showed me that I'm going right direction."