Sunday 11th October 2020
In a completely crazy women’s tournament, 19-year-old Polish Iga Swiatek amazes and inspires the professional world at the French Open. Boris Becker believes in a great future for tennis talent who, surprisingly, appeared as dominant in Paris as Serena Williams once did.
Congratulations from the president to the Bayern star, cheers in the press – and of course the inevitable comparisons with Serena Williams & Co. With her fabulous French Open victory, 19-year-old Polish Iga Swiatek enchanted and amazed the tennis world.
“Swiatek not only won in Paris, she practically flew through the tournament. She shocked the world of women’s tennis, although it has been full of surprises for years. She played offensively and effectively, wonderfully, in moments like the greatest virtuosos in the history of tennis “wrote the” Gazeta Wyborcza “.
Star striker Robert Lewandowski congratulated in the social networks as well as the world number one Novak Djokovic. With the 6: 4, 6: 1 against the Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin from the USA, the teenager from Warsaw not only crowned two wonderful weeks, but also left one or the other striking footnote in the history of international women’s tennis .
“Every year I watched Rafa lift the trophy up here. It’s crazy to be in the same place now,” said Swiatek, recalling Spanish defending champions Rafael Nadal. Swiatek is the first Polish tennis professional ever to have Grand Slam merits.
“She will win many more tournaments”
She is the youngest winner in Paris since the Croatian Iva Majoli in 1997. As the first player since the Belgian Justine Henin in 2007, she won the title without losing a set. Only 28 games – five of them in the final, believe it or not only three in the last sixteen at 6: 1, 6: 2 against top favorite and world number two Simona Halep – she gave up on the way to the title. Serena Williams last appeared so absurdly dominant seven years ago, who lost 21 games to the title.
It is difficult to predict whether Swiatek will establish itself among the world’s best and not one of the so-called one-hit wonders. There is much to suggest that she has a great future with her aggressive style of play and seemingly unbelievable nerve strength. “We will hear a lot from her, she will win many more tournaments,” said Eurosport expert Boris Becker. “What brilliant tennis for two weeks. Many, many more Grand Slam titles are still to come,” wrote Chris Evert, seven-time Paris winner, on Twitter.
But it will be a gigantic challenge for Swiatek to master the hustle and bustle and to call up the level now shown tournament after tournament. To become the dominant player in the women’s scene, which has recently seen nine new winners in 14 major tournaments. Especially since the missing top players like Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka will attack again at the upcoming events.
Swiatek graduated from high school in the spring, she works with a psychologist and speaks openly about it. There was only one thing that the 19-year-old was (still) slightly overwhelmed: At the award ceremony, she was so overwhelmed by her emotions that at some point she was lacking words.
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