Champion Iga Swiatek reflects on trying to become “Tennis’ Biggest Superstar”

Iga Swiatek, speaking from the corner of a small room, kicked her leg up over the handle of her chair as she recounted the years that led up to her current success, a few hours after she consolidated her dominance with a second French Open title while blazing to a 35th consecutive win in the run that never ends.

“My journey from the beginning was basically what my dad thought was the best,” said Swiatek. “He made really good choices, really bad choices sometimes, but it wasn’t like I had 10 people around me telling us how to deal with anything and telling us what to do. We had to choose our own path and for sure we got really lucky that he made some good decisions and I had good coaches at the beginning because, honestly, I didn’t have any system that could help us,” added the Polish star.

Iga Swiatek unlikely to compete at Berlin WTA 500

Even though Swiatek showed early potential as a junior, it took her a long time to think that she could have the career that she now has.

She may have been a perfectionist who always believed she could do better, but the lack of precedents from her region made such success all the more impossible to envision. The tennis season passes swiftly, and the grass season begins on Monday, presenting Swiatek with a fresh challenge as she tries to extend her winning streak. Swiatek won her only junior grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2018, although she still doesn’t see of herself as a top player. She’s always claimed that the conditions were milder that year.

Iga Swiatek is on the entry list for the Berlin WTA 500 tournament, which starts on June 13, but it’s unlikely she’ll compete. She’ll practise on a handful of grass courts at a private club an hour and a half from Warsaw when her focus shifts to grass.

For the time being, however, her priorities are clear. She’ll go as long as she can without holding a tennis racket after witnessing her idol Rafael Nadal win the French Open final.

“That will be like the nicest thing for me because I have been on tour since Fed Cup [in April]…Then I came back home for like one night. It doesn’t really count,” revealed Swiatek.