Jazda! The rise and rise of Iga Świątek

By Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo

Her ultimate transfer was as dynamic as these previous it. When the road decide’s name confirmed her opponent’s shot had sailed lengthy, Iga Świątek pirouetted towards her workforce whereas sinking to her knees in triumph. She had completed it. Her thirty fifth consecutive victory introduced a second French Open title and decisive affirmation of her standing, at simply 21, because the world’s most dominant tennis participant.

To win the title, Świątek needed to vanquish a proficient and spirited opponent, the 18-year outdated American, Cori “Coco” Gauff. She additionally needed to overcome the burden of nice expectations. When she received her first French Open, 20 months in the past, Świątek was ranked quantity 54 on the earth and unknown to all besides hopeful Poles and essentially the most devoted tennis followers. She decimated a subject that, in fact, in all probability knew little about her sport.

This 12 months, nonetheless, Świątek got here into the event because the world number one who had received the final 5 tournaments she had contested. Many pundits predicted she would face no actual problem in Paris. However tennis doesn’t work like that. One dangerous day, or perhaps a good day towards a powerful opponent, might be the distinction between victory and defeat, success and failure.

In fact, this was not an easy event. Świątek has performed higher. There have been moments the place she appeared inhibited by the expectations – each her personal and people of a nation who’ve discovered a brand new sporting idol. However she decisively overcame each problem in her means. In her ultimate three matches, Świątek misplaced solely 12 video games. The ultimate lasted barely an hour.

After the Australian Ash Barty’s shock retirement in March, Świątek has moved extremely rapidly to fill the void left on the prime of the ladies’s sport. With due respect to her bettering serve and wonderful backhand, there are three components to Świątek’s play which elevate her above her rivals.

The primary is her forehand. Combining big energy and excessive spin to overwhelm opponents, it’s a really fearsome shot. It’s not uncommon for her to file greater speeds and RPMs (revolutions per minute) than her male counterparts.

The second is her unimaginable athleticism, which permits her to show a defensive place right into a point-winning one within the blink of a watch.

The third is her psychological resilience. Tennis is a psychological sport. That’s much more true within the ladies’s sport, the place shorter matches imply a nervous begin can imply you might be midway to defeat in 20 minutes. Matches – careers – can hinge on the end result of particular person factors. Nobody is healthier at them than Świątek, an skilled in-match downside solver who has pioneered using a full-time sports activities psychologist on tour.

In these regards, she is a lot like her idol, the nice Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. Her apparent admiration for him and tendency to carry him up unprompted is likely one of the few reminders that, along with being the world number one, she can also be a younger lady residing her goals on the world stage.

Components of Świątek’s sport are additionally impressed by Agnieszka Radwańska – herself a former Grand Slam finalist – and Angelique Kerber, a German participant of Polish heritage.

However Świątek’s success is all her personal. As an rising participant, she didn’t benefit from elite coaching services or beneficiant wildcard entries to tournaments which might be freely given to gamers from extra established tennis nations.

In a social media submit following her victory in Paris, Świątek stated that an necessary a part of her journey has been studying that the one factor in her management is how onerous she works. This 12 months, that tough work is paying off handsomely.

Maybe the one factor extra spectacular than Świątek’s tennis is her character. In matches, she has learnt to harness the feelings that, as a youthful participant, sometimes consumed her in matches.

Off the courtroom, she is open, considerate, and mature. As lately as her run to her maiden French Open title in 2020, she was considering college research. Following a troublesome defeat finally 12 months’s World Tour Finals event in Mexico, Świątek stated that premenstrual syndrome could have affected her means to play her greatest – a courageous admission of a physiological actuality that’s nonetheless largely taboo.

She has additionally been publicly vocal in her assist for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. In each match Świątek has performed because the conflict started (all of which she has received), she has worn a Ukrainian flag pin mounted to her white cap.

Standing on the winner’s podium in Paris, little doubt caught in a swirl of feelings, she nonetheless had the presence of thoughts to ship a message of assist to Ukrainians world wide.

Whether or not she is aware of it or not, Świątek can also be difficult folks’s preconceptions of Poland and Polish folks. The world number one can also be a typical, Westernised member of Gen Z.

She is snug talking in English and as comfortable to debate the books she is studying and the music she is listening to (Pink Floyd and AC/DC are favourites) as any individual her age. Sure, these are regular issues. However in a world the place many individuals nonetheless view Poland as a considerably alien place, they’re significant. Świątek is presenting a youthful face of contemporary Poland to the world.

This 12 months, the world has learnt lots about Polish generosity. It’s now additionally studying about Polish sporting excellence. The sky is the restrict for Iga Świątek. However no matter the place her profession takes her from right here, Polish folks needs to be proud they’ve such a superb function mannequin. As for the remainder of the ladies’s tennis tour: they need to be very afraid.

Primary picture credit score: Michal Ryniak / Agencja Gazeta