Unleashed, signal, tiramisu
“Queen” Swiatek celebrates “boundless” masterpiece
09/11/2022 2:57 p.m
Iga Swiatek is only 21 years old – and already the high-flyer of the women’s tour. Her triumph in New York is a signal to the competition, who now have to dress warmly. The Polish woman presents herself as an escape artist and treats herself to a special dessert.
When Iga Swiatek lifted the lid of her shiny silver cup late on Saturday evening, the newly crowned US Open winner was suddenly over the moon. “Wow, I appreciate that very much,” exclaimed the high-flyer of the tennis scene and promptly cleaned up the small portion of tiramisu that someone had hidden in the trophy.
“Otherwise I don’t have any time to eat. I’ll definitely get spilled,” said Swiatek in the dazzling mood of a three-time Grand Slam winner, who also sent a clear signal to the competition with her latest masterpiece in New York would have. “It’s a confirmation for me that there are no limits for me,” said the world number one from Poland: “I’m proud, a little surprised and just happy that I did it.”
There were definitely question marks: A rather mixed preparation. Doubt whether she can also play for the title in a major on hard court. Plus the highly motivated competition. In the end, Swiatek shook off all of that and showed once again why it is the undisputed leader. At the very beginning of the 6:2, 7:6 (7:5) final victory against the previously strong Tunisian Ons Jabeur, Swiatek held a real demonstration of power that caused enthusiasm at home.
“Bravo, congratulations and thank you,” wrote Poland’s President Andrzej Duda on Twitter, bowing verbally after “another historic triumph of our great tennis player”. The Polish sports newspaper Przeglad Sportowy celebrated the “Queen of New York”, saying Swiatek had “once again amazed the world”.
“You know how Iga plays in finals”
At just 21 years old, Swiatek’s track record is surprisingly long. In 2020 and this summer she triumphed in Paris at the French Open. She won 37 matches in a row until the second round of Wimbledon and has won ten finals in a row on the tour without losing a set. In short: she dominates the scene. “You know Iga and you know how she plays in finals,” said the bitterly disappointed Jabeur, who wanted to be the first African player since the introduction of professional tennis to win a Grand Slam victory. In the end, she had to admit that Swiatek was a size too big and, above all, mentally it was incredibly difficult to crack.
An area to which she has always attached great importance. Mental coach Daria Abramowicz is always by her side, making sure her athlete finds ways to cope with the pressure – which worked perfectly in the final in New York. “I had the feeling that I used the experience from my two French Open victories pretty well,” said Swiatek: “I didn’t feel so stressed.” Angelique Kerber was also impressed on the Eurosport microphone: “She’s so young, but mentally so strong.”
In the course of the tournament, Swiatek repeatedly managed to free herself from difficult match situations as an escape artist, such as in the round of 16 against the bold Dortmund player Jule Niemeier. And even the loud, sometimes stressful New York could not harm Swiatek. She shook hands with celebs like Lindsey Vonn and singer Seal – and then kept delivering. She really deserved the small portion of tiramisu.