Iga Swiatek has come a long way since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2020.
Swiatek, who now has six Grand Slam singles titles to her name, won her first major title at the 2020 French Open.
Aged just 19 years old and ranked 54 on the WTA Tour, few were expecting the young Polish player to make an impact at the tournament.
However, she swept through the field before defeating Sofia Kenin in the final. Kenin had been in excellent form, having won the 2020 Australian Open title, but could not match Swiatek during a 4-6 1-6 loss.
Five years later, Swiatek has reflected on her first major triumph, while explaining how this success left her feeling confused.
Iga Swiatek ‘didn’t think she deserved’ to win her first Grand Slam title
Speaking during a short Rolex documentary concerning her own career, Swiatek was candid about her feelings after winning her maiden Grand Slam trophy in 2020.
The Pole defeated Marketa Vondrousova, Eugenie Bouchard and number one seed Simona Halep on her way to the title.
However, Swiatek says she found the experience of winning her first major ‘confusing.’
Swiatek said: “When I went to Paris in 2020, during Covid, expectations were super low. Tennis is not a popular sport in Poland so I was like, let’s just do my best!
“But then I started winning. And then I won another one, and another one. And suddenly I was playing the final.
“Before the match point I just was like ‘okay, don’t overthink it. Because if you’re going to change something right now, you’re going to regret it until the end of your life.’
“So yeah, I won a Grand Slam, and everything kind of changed, I would say. But in the back of my mind I didn’t think I deserved it, and I didn’t think I should ever be here. So it was… it was confusing.”
Swiatek discusses struggles after winning her first Grand Slam
Swiatek was at a very early stage in her career when the pressure of immediate success landed at her feet.
It is therefore understandable that she may have struggled under the weight of expectation after winning her first Grand Slam in 2020.
After all, Swiatek was only 19 years old and had transitioned from a relatively inconspicuous player to an international star within the space of a fortnight. She also became the first Polish Grand Slam singles champion in history.
Speaking in the same documentary, Swiatek discussed how these expectations weighed down on her, while highlighting the role her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, played in helping her manage her state of mind.
Swiatek continued: “So the hardest part was falling into that big, big hole of these expectations. And I didn’t play so well.
“I just wasn’t happy and when you’re young it’s just easy to lose control over that.
“I needed to kind of reset the way I was thinking.
“That’s when the support of the team was super important.”
Swiatek later added: “I think honestly I would be burned out with all the pressure that I used to put on myself. But working with Daria [Abramowicz – psychologist) for sure, she helped me believe that I can just play my game.
“I realised I should focus on working, progressing as a player and just getting my tennis better.”
