French Open – Iga Swiatek exclusively at Players’ Voice: “That would be pure stress”

The fairy tale began in Paris last September.

19-year-old Iga Swiatek rushed through the French Open without losing a set and won her first title on tour level.

A sensation, as the Polish woman was not set as number 54 in the world. Since the ranking was introduced in 1975, no player has won the clay court classic with a lower world ranking position.

By Iga Swiatek

After my success in Paris, I felt elated for weeks. I just couldn’t believe I had won a Grand Slam tournament. It took time and calm to look at everything from a distance, because after the final and when I returned to Poland everything was extremely hectic. I was suddenly popular, which was very special on the one hand and wild on the other.

We don’t have these big moments in Poland that often. There was Agnieszka Radwanska and I can remember reading about her successes and seeing some scenes on YouTube. But then I was still very young. So the situation was completely new to me last year and I first had to learn to deal with it – which I managed to do.

At first it was pretty hard to get back to training. Fortunately, Roland-Garros was my last tournament in the 2020 season and so I had just under four months to come down and prepare again. It wasn’t until the Australian Open in February that I had a feeling of normalcy again for the first time. That showed me how long it takes to become the old one.

At the beginning of this season I struggled a bit with my expectations, because I’m very ambitious and now wanted to play every match like in Paris. Only: that is impossible!

I had two perfect weeks at the French Open and had to be so realistic afterwards that I couldn’t keep this shape for a whole year. When I realized that and I stopped putting this pressure on myself, my game got better again. Then I won the WTA tournament in Adelaide and just enjoyed being on the court. These are the phases in which I play my best tennis.

Swiatek: “That would be pure stress”

If the pressure seems to overwhelm me, it is mostly due to myself and not to what is being brought to me from outside. That’s why I started working with the psychologist Daria Abramowicz in 2020. She has been traveling with me on the tour since then. We did a lot now before Roland-Garros, but to be honest I have no idea what it will be like to play in Paris again.

Part of me says I’ll be a lot more confident this year, but I’ve never been in a position to defend a title. We try to see it like any other tournament. If I were to attach too much importance to the fact that I have won here, it would be pure stress. So I say: I love being in Paris and no matter what happens, it’s ok. If I get to the quarter-finals, it would be a huge success, even if people expect more.

In some weeks I can block expectations that are too high and dive into my own bubble, which is like a safe place. But sometimes you just get caught. I then have to be nicer to myself and realize that the French Open title was only seven months ago and the situation is still very new to me. I think it takes a lot more time and self-observation to stay in your own bubble permanently. I hope the Adelaide and Rome results confirm that I am on the right track.

During these two tournaments I read so many great comments from fans from home on the social networks that I could literally feel the support. It means everything to me that my work is seen and that tennis has become more popular in Poland.

Olympia? “Minimize the risk of fear”

After Paris and Wimbledon, the Olympic Games are coming up and I can’t wait to represent my country in Tokyo. As in Roland-Garros, I want to approach it like any other event. It’s difficult, of course, because you know the games only happen once every four years and it might be your only chance to perform well there. I want to minimize the risk of competing in Tokyo and being scared. So I try to keep my mindset and realize that we are playing the same game as we were during the whole season.

My father Tomasz Swiatek was a rower and took part in the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. I really want the Covid regulations to make it possible for him to travel to Tokyo with me. It is his dream to share this Olympic experience with me.

My parents have been incredibly supportive of my career so far and I love hanging out with them.

At the same time, I feel that something has changed for me since last October. I’m still the same person, but I feel more experienced and confident on the court. I still live in my parents’ house and after an exhausting and exciting summer I am already looking forward to returning home.

Your Iga Swiatek

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